Destined Meetings
by Lashana Inferno
Summary: When two teenagers get caught up in magick gone awry, they end up getting pulled into an adventure that neither of them could have ever imagined. Was this an accident? Or was it Fate? *complete*
1. Prologue

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   


**Prologue : Beginning of the end**   
  


_Dragon._ A crude but accurate word he supposed. It sounded much better when spoken in the language of his brethren, but then again, the majority of humans weren't known for their willingness to learn complex languages...or translate them properly. He sighed and shook his head slightly as he gazed down from the shadows at the woman that stood before him, her eyes bright with tears as she pleaded for her son's life. Aislinn, daughter of the Celts.... Her people and his once lived in perfect harmony. It had been a wondrous time then. The Old Ways had been honoured back then....but as the saying went 'good things don't last forever'. 

He sighed again, softly this time, so as not to be overheard. Aislinn had been his truest friend, oh so long ago. Why she had allowed herself to be married to a dragonslayer was beyond even his comprehension. Though knowing the ways of those slayers, she had probably been forced. That would certainly explain the sudden disappearance of her Celtic clan. Perhaps 'slayers' was an appropriate term for those killers, they didn't seem to hold any life dear except their own.... 

And now he was faced with this. A child already filled with the darkness of a killer. But he _was_ still a child. Perhaps....with luck....he could be pulled from the brink of disaster. That would require a huge sacrifice on his part however. Was he truly willing to take such a leap of faith....just so that he could assure his place among his people when his time came? 

He shifted his bulk slightly, wingtips scraping against the cave wall as he looked into Aislinn eyes, unable to ignore the hope he saw there. Hope that he would save her son. Hope that through him, her son could be saved from so much more than just mere death. But even he wasn't foolish enough to do what she was asking without some sort of reassurance. 

The look on the Knight's face was indescribable as he took his sword from him and held it over the boy, the light from the boiling hot mud pits in the main chamber of the cave casting a shadowed cross across his blood soaked tunic. Even now, the child fought for life, but the dragon simply couldn't quite quell a feeling of distrust from nagging at him as the human forced out his whispered oath, the strain of it stealing away what little strength remained to him. 

He supposed that he shouldn't have been too surprised when the Knight ripped the sword out of his claw, making his talons scrape a long dark groove in the blade. True, this was the boy's protector, perhaps the Knight had seen something he hadn't? Something good and pure that he simply hadn't had a chance to see? 

Almost without realizing it, he found himself already lifting up one of the scales protecting his flesh, a single talon slipping underneath to slice into the skin. _Faith is all I have left. If my heart can purify this child....perhaps the age of Dragons can be prolonged....or saved altogether...._

The sensation of his sacrifice left him feeling frighteningly empty, but he pushed it aside as he gazed down at Aislinn once more, a faint smile playing over his face when she gave him a look of pure thanks and everlasting gratitude. Knowing that she could see only a faint outline of himself, he gave her a short nod, then gestured towards the cave entrance with his snout. Understanding flickered across her face as she turned and ordered the guards to come and take the makeshift litter that cradled the recovering boy. 

What happened next shocked even him. The Knight actually stepped forward and bowed to him, swearing himself into his service. It reassured him to know that the boy was under his man's wing. If such a soul still lived that would follow the teachings of the Old Code, perhaps this world wasn't as lost as most dragons believed it to be.... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"_DRAGON!!_ I know you're in here!!" 

He sighed and watched from the shadows. He had known something had gone horribly wrong. The link that tied him to the boy felt....odd. Wrong. It felt....dark. A darkness that constantly tore at his own inner light like wolves tearing at a fresh kill. _What have I done.... In trying to save my kind, I've damned them and myself....._

"No matter where you fly, I will find you!! I will spend the rest of my life hunting you down!!" 

The dragon closed his eyes in grief and silently turned to stride deeper into his cave. _I will not fly anywhere, Sir Knight.... All that is left to me now.... is the shadows._


	2. The Spell

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
**** ****

**Chapter 1: The spell**   


Present Day   
  


At one point in her life, if someone had told her that she would be willingly staying in the school after classes had let out, she would have laughed in their face and told them they were crazy. Luckily for her, not many people came close enough to tell her anything, nevermind a premonition like that. Rachel sighed and rose a hand to rake her fingers through her shoulder-length white hair as she walked down the tiled hallway, vainly hoping that this night would be different than all the others, but somehow knowing that fate wasn't going to break with tradition. 

"Hey freak! Where you think yer goin?" 

_Right on time, as always. I should enlist in Track & Field, I certainly get enough practice._ Not even bothering to look behind her, the seventeen year old shifted her backpack onto her right shoulder and broke into an all-out run, her sneakers barely making a sound against the tiled floor as she bolted down one hallway and tore around a corner. 

She hit the library doors without even breaking stride and shot the startled librarian a panicked look before she darted into the bookshelves, expertly weaving her way between the cases until she was at the back of the room. Her sides heaved as she fought to regain her breath, her hand rising to cover her mouth and nose to smother a sneeze from the layer of dust she had just inhaled. Once she was certain that she'd be able to stay silent, she carefully peered between two books, staring at the main desk of the library and the four teenage boys that the librarian was telling to leave. _Thank the Gods for small miracles..._

"Rachel? You can come out now. They're gone." 

Still wary, she crept to the edge of the row of bookcases and took a look around before sighing in relief and stepping out into the open. "Thanks. That's another one I owe you." 

"Don't worry about it. I used to have the same problems when I was your age." 

She snorted. "_That_ I doubt!" she growled, reaching up to tug at a lock of her abnormally white shoulder-length hair. She always wondered what she looked like to other people, wondered how horrid she must seem to them for them to hate her so. She knew that her white hair accented her dark blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, and she constantly made certain that wild locks hid her slightly pointed ears. Granted, standing at five foot six and being athletically built was considered the norm in the classes, her appearance always set her apart. She was just happy that no one had seen her fangs yet. 

"People fear what they don't understand. And what they don't understand is usually different from them, that's why they lash out," the librarian said gently as Rachel walked over to the main desk and sagged against it wearily. "I have something that may help cheer you up though." 

Rachel perked up and glanced at her hopefully. "My book came in?" 

"Yep. Here. You're lucky, you're the last one on the hold list, so I can renew it for you however many times you want." 

"Great!" she grinned, fairly snatching the book from the librarians hands and leafing through it's pages eagerly. "Damn. I wish I could get home and read this...but I still have half an hour before the moron squad leaves." 

The librarian smiled and went over to her desk, opening the top drawer and pulling out a single key. "Here." 

Rachel frowned took it, peering at it curiously before raising her gaze to one of her only friends. "What's this?" 

"The back door," the librarian winked as she pointed to the door at the back of the library. "It leads out into the corridor near the drama rooms. You know where?" 

"Yeah!" She nodded, shoving the book into her backpack. "You sure you don't mind?" 

"Not at all. Get going before they come back." 

"Right. Thanks!!" _Wow. I never thought she'd do this for me. It's nice to know that some people aren't total jerks._ Rachel grinned as darted to the door and opened it, pocketing the key as she turned to wave at the librarian before slipping out into the drama corridor. A quick glance up and down the hallway assured her that she was alone, making her sigh in relief as she jogged towards the service doors at the end of the hallway that led to the back parking lot of the high school. _Okay. If can grab my bike and motor it out of here without being seen I may actually manage to get home before dusk..._ Pushing the doors open revealed that they hadn't been used - or oiled - in a very long time, and she fairly threw herself outside as the sound echoed through the empty hallway, reverberating throughout the school. _That's gonna cost me._

Hoping to escape another confrontation, she ran around the main building and skidded to a stop next to her bike, her fingers fumbling with the combination lock before she finally managed to yank it open... 

"There she is!!" 

_Shit._ Growling in annoyance, she leapt onto her bike and pedaled for all she was worth, sailing over a speed bump and swerving around an oncoming car. _If I can make it to the woods I can lose them!_ A hasty glance behind her awarded her with the sight of four boys frantically pedaling after her, cruel grins on their faces as they yelled out wild catcalls and insults._ If I make it to the woods...._

She took a street corner sharply and ducked a thrown rock before she swerved again, hoping that the zigzagging path would confuse the four males behind her. A wave of hope washed through her seconds later when she caught sight of the edge of the woods a block away, fuelling her strength as she upped the speed on her bike. _Almost there....oh shit!!_

One of the bullies had figured out where she had been heading, and was now parked in front of the dirt path that led into her forest haven, a grin spreading over his face as he lifted a sharp stone and cocked his arm. _I'm going too fast to stop!!_ _Oh this is going to hurt..._ She ducked her head and braced herself, yelping when the thrown rock impacted with her right cheek as she literally ploughed over the bully and his bike. Only quick reflexes kept her from crashing, a gasp of relief escaping her as she peddled deeper into the woods, knowing that the numerous twisting paths would confuse anyone who wasn't familiar with the terrain. _Made it... Thank the Gods... Ouch! Damn my cheek hurts...._

She rode through the forest at a frantic pace, only slowing down once she was sure that she was truly alone. After long harrowing days at school she usually came here to either hide out or relax, it was the only real place that she felt truly safe... It was as if the forest was protecting her from the troubles of the modern world. _Modern world. Yeah right. I'd rather live in the medieval times than this. At least then if someone attacks me I can beat the crap out of them and not be punished for it!_

A hawk cried out above her as she neared a paved road half an hour later, she smiled grimly as she rode onto it and started the tedious task of peddling uphill to her foster family's house. To this day she never called them her parents, even after having lived with them for ten years. She just couldn't do it. It didn't help that one of her foster's was an alcoholic and the other was always out gambling.... 

"Rachel! Where have you been?! What happened to your face?!" 

She looked up at the cry as she rode her bike down the short driveway and blinked at the red haired girl that was running towards her. _What's she doing here? Oh yeah, we were supposed to get together after school to study..._ "Hey, Erica. I got hung up at school again. You got a cloth or something? My cheek hurts like hell." 

"Those jerks again?" Erica frowned worriedly as she handed her a Kleenex. 

"Yeah." She took the tissue and winced as she pressed it against her cheek, grimacing when she pulled it back to look at the blood on it. "Damn. They really got me good." She sighed and dismounted, walking her bike over to a fence and chaining it against the main post. "You been here long?" 

"Twenty minutes. Your mom's inside." 

Rachel frowned. "She's not my mother." 

"Right. Sorry," Erica murmured. 

She winced. "Sorry, 'Rica. It's been a really bad day. C'mon, let's see if we can get upstairs without getting screamed at." As it turned out, things went smoother than she had thought. It helped that her foster was passed out on the couch. 

She ushered Erica into her room and sighed in relief as she closed and locked her door behind them, turning to lean back against the door afterwards. Taking a moment, she let her gaze roam around her room, checking to see if anything had been moved or taken. Her the only possessions that she gave a damn about were her dragon statues and posters, and she nodded in satisfaction when she saw that they were all accounted for. 

"Hey, your cheek is still bleeding," Erica said worriedly. "Come here and let me put a bandage on it." 

She nodded and dropped her bookbag on her bed before sitting next to it, letting her best friend clean the cut with a Kleenex. "How bad is it?" 

"You'll live," Erica smiled. "Though it may leave a scar." 

"No biggie," she shrugged as she reached for her bag. "Guess what? My book came in today." 

"You and your dragons," Erica chuckled when she saw the title. "'A Book of Dragons', huh? You think there's something in there that you haven't memorized yet?" 

"Maybe. Even then, I don't care," Rachel smiled as she opened the book and flipped through the pages, wincing as Erica taped a bandage onto her cheek. "What's on that?" 

"Antibiotic." 

"That would explain the stinging then," Rachel smirked as she glanced at the book a final time before setting it aside for later. "Y'know. I was thinking how nice it'll be when we get out of this town." 

"You're always thinking that," Erica teased as she sat cross-legged at the end of her friend's bed, reaching up to tuck a curl of her hair behind her left ear. 

"Well yeah, but I was thinking that I'm gonna get myself a place in the country. Near a forest. Away from most people. Maybe on a lake." 

"That would be nice...especially with the way you love nature and animals," Erica agreed while she pulled the elastic out of her pony tail and raked her fingers through her hair, working out all the knots. "You could open a kennel for dogs...or raise horses!" 

"....yeah." Rachel mused, throwing herself back on her pillows and staring at the ceiling where a poster of a dragon sleeping in the middle of a dense forest was taped to the plaster. "Total freedom..." 

"That's why you love dragons as much as you do, isn't it? Because they're untameable and completely free?" 

"Maybe. I've always been drawn to them though." She gave the poster one last look before sitting up again and looking at her friend. "Did you want to go over what we studied last week?" 

"The Wicca? Sure, but I though you already got that spell down pact." 

Rachel smiled and reached for an worn-out looking book sitting on her nighttable. The two of them had been studying Wicca for a little under a year now, and it had been the greatest luck that she had found a real spellbook in a used bookstore. She had mastered all the spells in under a month, but Erica was a little slower to learn. "I did. But I don't mind helping you." 

"It comes so naturally to you, doesn't it?" Erica said wistfully. "I wish I could learn that easily." 

"Maybe it's the ears," Rachel snickered, tucking a lock of her pure white hair behind a pointed ear for emphasis. "You wanna go outside and practice this?" 

"Yeah...uh...do you have an extra pair of jeans? I don't think I'm dressed for a hike," her friend said, gesturing to her school uniform of dress pants and blouse. Her parents had thought her too civilized for the public school, hence the fact that they had forced her to enrol in the best private school in the area. They didn't realize how much she hated it there. All the rules, the dress codes, the snobbish attitudes of most of the students. They simply didn't understand how much she wanted to be a normal teen. 

"Sure," Rachel nodded, knowing 'Rica's hatred of the outfit she was wearing. She rose and went to rummage through a dresser drawer for a moment, smiling triumphantly as she pulled out an extra pair of blue jeans, and a t-shirt. "There ya go. It's a good thing we wear the same sized clothes huh? Oh, and there's an extra pair of sneakers in the closet." 

"Thanks. I'm gonna take over your bathroom for a minute," Erica smiled as she gathered the clothes and headed into the little side-bathroom. 

Rachel sighed as her friend closed the door and threw herself down on her bed, reaching out to grab her new book before opening it and staring at a picture of a golden dragon flying over a forest. _True freedom...._ She flipped the page and looked at a painting of a knight fighting a dragon, frowning at it for a moment before turning the page again. _I don't want to see a murder picture thank you very much..._ She ended up at a picture of a dragon peacefully speaking with a peasant and sighed. _It'd be nice....but like my fosters and Erica keep telling me, dragons never really existed, no matter how much I believe in them..._

"Ready!" Erica announced as she walked out of the bathroom, pirouetting as she did so. "How do I look?" 

"Like you're going hiking," she grinned as she sat up and grabbed her backpack, upending it to dump her school stuff on the floor before shoving the library book and the spellbook into it. Hopping to her feet, she went over to her desk and opened the bottom drawer, grabbing a pouch of herbs and a pouch of gemstones, grinning at Erica as she added them to her bag. "We're good ta go!" Her hand had just landed on the doorknob of her bedroom door when she heard a car pull up outside, and she froze as she listened to the engine cut off before footsteps stomped up the main stairs, the front door bursting open moments later. "Uh...let's take the other route. Hurry." 

Erica nodded and went over to the window, opening it fully and looking at the large maple tree for a moment before reaching out to grab a thick branch and pulling herself outside. She hung there for a second, looking back towards Rachel to make sure she was following before she set her foot on a lower branch and started to climb down. 

Heart hammering in her chest as she climbed, Rachel couldn't muffle a gasp of fear as the sound of her bedroom door being kicked open registered. Knowing what could happen if she was caught, she let go and fell the last three meters, landing on all fours in front of a startled Erica. "Run!" she hissed as she lunged to her feet and grabbed Erica's left arm, dragging her into the forest. 

"This is nuts! You shouldn't have to sneak around your own home!" Erica gasped as she let her friend pull her through the woods, falling silent when she heard loud curses from behind them. 

"I shouldn't but I do," Rachel said as she sped up, propelling Erica over a small rock bridge that spanned over a stream and following her seconds later. "We're okay now. For some reason they never cross this bridge. Phew...talk about your close calls. You okay?" 

"Yeah. Yeah I'm alright. You?" 

"I'll live. C'mon." 

Erica followed her friend deeper into the woods, frowning as she recalled the look of fear on Rach's face when she had heard her foster father arrive. She knew that Rachel's fosters were messed up...but would they go as far as beating her? "Rach?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Did.... Have they ever?" 

Rachel paused and looked back at her friend, sighing when she saw the intense worry in her expressive green eyes. "Beat me? Only when they can catch me. Which isn't often. C'mon, we're almost there." 

Erica sighed and nodded, walking by her side as the other teen led her deeper into the forest, unerringly heading towards a small run down cabin. "This..." 

"This is where I run to. I found it last month," Rachel smiled as she hopped over a bed of herbs and pushed the door open, taking a deep breath of the air and grinning as she let Erica precede her. 

Erica stepped over the old wooded threshold and looked around the small cabin. She had to admit, it wasn't as bad as she had feared. There was a bed with clean blankets, a table and chairs, two oil lanterns and a wood stove. Still, her conscience nagged at her. "Rach...you know that you can always come over right?" 

"Yeah, but your folks'l kill me if I show up at three in the morning again," Rachel winked. "Besides, I like spending time here. It's very calming. So! You up for a little magick?" 

"Sure," Erica murmured, leaving the cabin and following Rachel over to a small patch of moss. It didn't surprise her to see that the moss was formed into a perfect circle, just big enough for the two of them to sit in. _She's been experimenting with her magick again.... _"How long did it take you to form this?" 

Rachel grinned. "Twenty minutes. It's not just moss, it's a shielded casting circle," she told her friend as she dropped down onto the soft moss and set her bag in her lap, pulling out her spellbook and grinning up at the still standing Erica. "You gonna gawk at me for the rest of the day?" 

"I might!" she laughed as she moved to sit across from her friend. "I'm starting to envy you. You learn things so quickly!" 

"No biggie," Rachel shrugged as she opened the spellbook. She couldn't help but think that the area they were in reminded her greatly of the picture on her ceiling. _I still wish dragons existed.... surely they weren't as judgemental as most people are...._

"Yo! Erica to Rach! You awake?!" 

"Huh? Oh. Sorry....I kinda....drifted off." 

"Do tell. Dragon-dreaming again?" 

She blushed. "Maybe." 

"Uh huh." 

"Okay, so maybe I wish that they really existed. Hell, I wish I had been born in the medieval ages where I could beat the livin daylights out of someone who tries to hit me with a baseball bat!" 

"They wouldn't have baseball bats in the medieval ages," Erica pointed out with a smirk. 

"You know what I mean!" 

Erica's smile faded as she met her friends tortured gaze. "Yeah. I know. People suck. With the way people treat each other, it's no wonder we hear about kids shooting up their schools." 

Rachel nodded morosely and stared down at the spellbook, fighting to keep the familiar depression from sinking it's talons into her. "I wish I could leave this place... I wish I could go somewhere where I'd be safe... I'm so tired of running, Erica...." 

Erica moved over and hugged her friend. "I know, Rach." She pulled back a few seconds later and met Rachel's gaze. "I wish you could be free too." 

The words had barely left her lips, when the spellbook in Rachel's lap started to glow a bright green, making both girls scrambled to their feet and fairly leap away from it in shock. They stared at it in wonder as it levitated into the air, floating two meters above the ground before it's pages began to move on their own, the green light intensifying to such a point that both teens were forced to shield their eyes. 

"What's going on?!" Erica cried. 

"I dunno!" Rachel yelled. "I think we activated a spell!!" 

"No! Really? I hadn't noticed!" 

Rachel glared at her for a moment before she turned her gaze back to the book, blinking when she saw that it was enveloped in very visible green wind-like shield. _This can't be good!!_ She grabbed Erica's wrist and started to run for the cabin, yelping when the wind that had previously been swirling around the book shot out and encircled them. She cried out and felt Erica dig her nails into her arm as a brilliant pulse of power literally blinded them before they, and the book, vanished. 

After the dirt and debris kicked up by the wind settled once again, only the charred circle of moss remained. A silent testimony to what had happened. 


	3. Painful arrivals

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
**** ****

**Painful arrivals**   
  


"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH---oof!" 

Rachel groaned where she lay on her back on the hard ground, trying to force her body to take in a deep breath before she passed out from lack of air, a grimace marring her features as her lungs finally obeyed. She had almost recovered when Erica landed on top of her, once again driving the air from her and giving her an unwanted report on how her ribs felt at the moment. "Rica! ...off!" 

"Sorry!" Erica yelped, franticly scrambling off of her friend. "Are you okay?" 

"Give me a minute..." Rachel muttered as she sat up and took in a few deep breaths, stubbornly ignoring the ache in her right side as she looked around, her eyes widening when the knowledge that they were in the middle of a large field of grain registered in her mind. "Where the hell are--ack!" The last was caused by the sudden impact of her backpack and spellbook slamming onto her skull, returning her to her previous position on the ground. "....this is getting mighty old mighty fast!" 

"Are you okay?" Erica asked while smothering a giggle. 

She winced and pushed herself into something that resembled a sitting position. "Yeah.... I think. Where are we?" Taking a moment, she grabbed her bag and shoved the spellbook into it, slowly rising to her feet as she zipped it shut. Once she had managed to get the strap over her shoulders, she rose a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and turned in a full circle to look at the grain field. 

"I have _no_ clue. There aren't any farms around town...are there?" Erica asked as she got to her feet and moved to stand next to her, following Rachel's gaze around the landscape. 

"Not that I know of....." 

"Thieves!!" 

"Huh?!" Rachel snapped her gaze towards the direction the yell had come from and blinked as an arrow embedded itself into the ground next to her left foot. Startled, she took a step back and looked over at the man on horseback that was riding towards them, another arrow notched into his crossbow. "Shit!!" 

"_Run!!_" Erica cried as she spun and bolted towards a nearby forest, dimly aware that Rachel was right behind her as she ran. A quick glance behind her gave her the only look of her pursuer that she wanted, taking the crossbow he was aiming in their direction to mean that if they didn't speed up, they were basically screwed. 

Rachel frowned, and spared a glance at Erica, who was gasping heavily as she tried to keep up the hectic pace. _Damn. She can't keep this up... Okay, I've have enough!_ Skidding to a stop, she turned and glared at the man on horseback. Taking a deep breath, she rose her right hand, her palm facing towards him as she spoke one sharp word. The blast of wind that she summoned managed to not only frighten the rider, but put the horse into a panic as well, making the creature skid to a dead stop before it gave a scream of fright and turned tail. _Sorry. Your rider didn't give me much of a choice._

"Rachel! C'mon!" Erica called from the edge of the woods. 

She made sure the rider was gone before nodding and sprinting over to her. "You okay?" 

"I'll live. Good thinking with that spell." 

"Thanks. C'mon, let's put some distance between us and where ever the hell this is," Rachel said softly as she brushed past Erica and headed deeper into the woods. The moment she had stepped foot into the forest, she had known that they weren't anywhere near town. It just didn't _feel _right. The forest had a 'clean' sense to it that a forest that was situated near a population just didn't have. There wasn't any garbage littering the ground, or any marks on the trees.... the underbrush was vibrant, untrampled, and covered nearly every part of the forest floor.... 

"Rach?" Erica called after a few minutes of face paced walking. 

"Hmm?" 

"We're not home, are we?" 

Rachel sighed. "No. We're not. I don't know where we are 'Rica. But I think I hear a stream up ahead, we'll stop there for a bit, okay?" 

"Sure. I think I could use a drink..." _Or a cold splash of water to wake me up..._

It only took them a few more minutes of walking before they reached the rather large stream, and Erica loosed a heavy sigh as she dropped to her knees on the pebble-lined shore and plunged her hands into the cold water. After a drinking her fill and splashing the cool liquid over her face and neck, she sat back on her feet and looked over at Rachel. When her friend gave no sign that she knew she was there, Erica tossed a handful of pebbles at her, effectively gaining her attention. "Hey. Don't you space out on me. You're the only thing that's keeping me from running around screaming and pulling my hair out." 

Rachel chuckled and stepped away from the water's edge. "You can do that anyway, it'll be fun to watch," she snickered, laughing she received a splash of water as an indignant answer. 

"So. What do you think happened?" Erica said as she stood and brushed dirt from the knees of her jeans. 

"I dunno. I really don't..." Rachel sighed, shaking her head to accent the statement. "Obviously we activated a spell, but damned if I know which-" she cut herself off and frowned, looking around them curiously. 

"What is it?" Erica whispered. 

She rose a finger to her lips, signalling 'Rica to be quiet, and gestured for her friend to follow her as she crept downstream. 

"It's all very good to go about hacking and whacking dragons, but if a dragon falls in the forest and no one gets to hear about it, does it make a thud?" 

Erica paused in mid-step and exchanged baffled glances with Rachel. "'Dragon'?" 

Rachel shrugged and took another step forward, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream of shock when a ear-shattering roar cut through the air. She was seconds away from following a panicked Erica back into the woods before she realized that the sound had come from....below? Now fully curious, she gestured for Erica to stay put and headed forward, pausing once again when she discovered that the 'stream' they had found was actually the top of a very large waterfall. 

Kneeling so as to keep her balance, she peeked over the edge and stared down at what had to be a knight on horseback....and a monk. Luckily, the roar of the waterfalls managed to smother her startled yelp for her when a half-decomposed corpse of a horse and rider exploded from the falls below and flew towards the knight, who barely managed to avoid it by ducking low in his saddle. _There must be a cave below me!_

"That's all that's left of the last dragonslayer that tangled with me! If I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead!" The shout resonated throughout the stone beneath her, and she couldn't help but snicker at the monk's cry of fright when he accidentally picked up the floating head of the corpse. _Wait a minute! Dragonslayer?!_

She was still trying to process this new tidbit of information when the knight launched his javelin into the waterfall, the sound of his yell jarring her out of her thoughts. Digging her nails into the ground, she leaned forward a bit more to discover that the weapon had jarred to a stop halfway through the falls, quivering silently for a moment before numerous loud crunches were heard, the javelin vanishing a foot at a time into the curtain of water. 

Erica, not liking being left out, even if the situation was ridiculously insane and dangerous, crept out of the forest and went to kneel by Rachel's side. "What's going on?" 

"Just watch," Rachel whispered, smiling when several pieces of what used to be the javelin were launched out of the falls, impacting loudly with the knight's hastily risen shield. 

"You know I've got quite a collection in here!" the voice boomed again. 

"I won't be added to it!" The knight shouted back. 

Rachel growled and picked up a fist sized stone, glancing at Erica when her friend grabbed her wrist. 

"What are you doing?!" Erica gasped. 

"I'll explain later! Just trust me!" she whispered before jerking her arm free and launching the rock, grinning when it smacked the knight right in the forehead. 

"Are you insane!?" Erica cried. 

Rachel chuckled. "Only enough to be interesting," she retorted before looking down at the sputtering knight. "Now what exactly do you think you're doing, hmm? Y'know, I hated bullies when I was in my own town, you think I'm gonna like them any better in a different environment?" 

"You don't know what you're doing, child!" the monk shouted at her worriedly. "That dragon is evil!" 

Erica blinked. _Dragon?_

"Why is it that whatever isn't considered 'normal' is automatically evil?" Rachel yelled as she leapt to her feet, to glare down at them fully. 

"What the hell are you?" The knight asked, frowning as sunlight played off snow-white hair. 

"Mother of God..." The monk breathed. 

Rachel snickered and turned to look behind her. "Hey 'Rica. Take a look see. They're gaping like fish out of water!" 

Her friend shook her head franticly and scooted backwards. "I'm not going any nearer to that cliff than I already am!" 

"Aw c'mon it's perfectly-" Rachel cut herself off with a yelp of surprise as an arrow slammed into the ground next to her foot, making her take a step back in shock. It shocked her even more when her foot hit nothing but air. 

"Rach!" Erica yelled, forgetting her fear as she lunged forward to try to catch her friend, watching in horror as the teen fell thirty feet to crash into the water below. "Rachel!!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Coldness. _Why is it so cold? Where's Erica? Wasn't that her voice I just heard?_ Voices screaming at each other. The coldness seeping into her very bones. _My lungs hurt.... What's this feeling of weightlessness? Am I....under water?_ She frowned and clawed her way back into consciousness, gasping when hands grabbed her shirt and yanked her head and shoulders out into the air. 

"Rachel!!" 

_'Rica?_ She blinked dazedly, her ribs aching while she coughed, trying to expel the water she had inhaled. As soon as her vision cleared, she was treated to the sight of the knight's face disturbingly close, his gaze locking onto hers. "_You!_" Her foot caught on a rock, and she used it for leverage as she leapt to her feet and came up swinging, her right fist slamming into his face, forcing him to release her as his hands rose to cover his nose. "I ought to beat the living daylights out of you, you heartless bastard!" 

Erica sighed in relief. _Well, at least I know she's alright._

"I just saved your life!" the knight yelled back, blinking when she moved to block his path to the cave. "You're _protecting _that thing?! Are you insane?!" 

"Only enough to be interesting," Rachel smirked before glancing at the falls behind her. "Yo! Run! Fly! Do _something_, just get the hell out of here already!!" 

"Oh no you don-" 

A roundhouse kick to the stomach shut the knight up right quick, giving her a precious moment to shove her bangs out of her eyes before the waterfall exploded behind her. She twisted as she fell, her eyes widening as she stared up at the dragon that had just leapt through the curtain of water. Patches of his hide glistened in the sun, the water accenting the already present tones of gold and bronze scales as his wings spread to their full width, beating strongly to gain altitude. Just before she hit the water for a second time, the dragon lowered his gaze to hers, staring at her.... 

Anything else was obliterated by her entrance into the cold waters of the falls. 

By the time she had managed to slosh her way out of the pond, the dragon was gone, and the knight after it. She hoped that it would get away.... 

"Rach!" 

The call drew her gaze to Erica as the teen half slid, half fell down a steep incline, hitting the shoreline of the waterfall's basic at a frantic run. "I'm okay! I'm okay. Just-" she paused and sneezed, "...cold. And wet. Did I mention cold?" 

Erica launched herself at her and hugged her tightly for a moment before pulling back and smacking her upside the head. "You scared the hell out of me! Don't you ever do that again!" 

"Sorry!" she grinned, raising her hands to fend off any more hits. "Just, let's get out of here before the monk comes to his senses. Religion and I don't mix, remember?" 

Erica chuckled, remembering the time where one of the Catholic priests had screamed at the sight of Rachel and thrown Holy Water at her. "Point. Where to?" 

"Dunno, don't care. Did you get my bag?" 

"Yeah," she nodded, gesturing to the backpack that was slung over her left shoulder. "I got it." 

"Great. Thanks." 

"No prob. C'mon." 

Rachel nodded and took a moment to ring the water out of her hair before running after her friend, following her into the woods. Inwardly, she was elated. Sure, she had almost been seriously hurt, she had taken on an armed knight without any weapons of her own and she was sure she had low-grade hypothermia.... but she had seen a real live dragon! _Man oh man, I don't know where we are, but I like it!_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

It was well after sunset when they finally stopped for the night, and a now dry Rachel didn't bother to hide a tired yawn as she trudged around their campsite, picking up pieces of firewood. By the time she had gathered enough to keep them going for the night, she was practically sleep-walking. Doing a controlled collapse onto the ground, she piled some dry leaves and twigs together an set it ablaze with a simple fire spell, waiting until she was sure she wouldn't smother the flame before adding actual wood to the fire. 

A loud sigh made her look over at Erica as her friend sat down across from her and rummaged through the backpack to pull out two apples, handing one to her. It had been pure luck that they had come across that apple tree, and they had taken the opportunity to load up the bag with as many as they could carry. 

"So," she said in between mouthfuls of the delicious fruit. "Any ideas on where we are?" 

"None. No, that's not true. We're exactly where you wished to be," Erica told her. "We're in the medieval ages where you're allowed to defend yourself, where you can be as free as you want and...and where dragons exist." 

"Still having a bit of trouble coming to terms with the last one huh?" 

"Well yeah... I mean, it's not a bad thing... but I haven't revered them all my life like you have, y'know? I'm out of my league.... And I could really go for a burger right now." 

"Don't even mention decent food," Rachel muttered as she finished off her first apple and caught the second that Erica tossed to her. "Though you're right about this being my wish." 

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Erica smiled. 

"Immensely!" 

"Though I know one thing you do miss." 

"Oh yeah?" 

"Pizza." 

Rachel groaned. "Stop that. You're being cruel." 

"Ice cream." 

"'Rica." 

"Chocolate." 

"Okay okay! Stop it already you bloody sadist! Gods..." Rachel glared at her testily and tossed the core of her first apple into the fire, pausing for a moment before sinking her fangs into her second fruit. "Triple fudge cherry sundaes." 

"Now _that _is just pure evilness," Erica chuckled, watching as her friend quickly finished the second apple and yawned, shifting to stretch out on her back. _She's got the right idea... I'm exhausted..._

Rachel sighed as she stared up at the stars, listening to Erica move around a bit before her friend settled down. A quick glance told her that 'Rica seemed to be almost asleep, and Rachel smiled as she put her right arm behind her head and closed her eyes, fully intending to let sleep claim her as well.... 

"_Rachel!_" 

She bolted upright at the scream, automatically summoning a ball of fire into her right hand as she looked over at a frightened Erica. "What?! What's wrong?!" 

"What's that sound?!" 

She paused and managed to make out the lonesome hoot of an owl over her frantic heartbeat. "It's just an owl 'Rica." 

"You sure?" 

Rachel sighed and let the fireball fizzle out. "Yes," she grumbled. Knowing that she wasn't about to get any rest anytime soon, shifted so she was sitting lotus-style in front of the fire and picked up a piece of firewood. "You haven't camped out before huh? Just go to sleep Erica. I'll keep an eye out, okay?" When it looked like she was going to protest, Rachel glared at her until she lay back down and closed her eyes. 

The white-haired teen sighed again and poked at the fire with the stick, waiting until she was certain her friend had fallen asleep before lying down again and stretching out on her stomach, resting her cheek on her crossed arms. She was asleep minutes later.   
  



	4. Fated meetings

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._

**Fated meetings**   


Low warbles of songbirds and the sensation of wind playing with her hair tugged Rachel out of a comfortable sleep. Blinked dazedly, she rose her head from her arms and belatedly wondered where her bedroom had gone. The sight of the dead campfire goaded her thoughts into forming a coherent memory, and she groaned as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the forest's canopy. "'Rica? 'Rica, you up?" 

When all she got was a low snore, she rolled her eyes and pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing at the ache in her ribs for a moment before grabbing a handful of grass and throwing it at her sleeping friend. "Rise and shine!" 

Erica groaned. "I'll rise, but I _refuse _to shine. What time is it?" 

"Judging by the sun....oh maybe eight am." 

"Ug. You think there's coffee here?" 

"Seriously doubt it," she sighed, gazing over at her friend. "However, there is something you'd like." 

"Hmm?" 

Rachel dug out the change purse she had snitched off the knight, and held it up, baring her fangs in an insane grin as she shook it slightly, the coins jingling. "Let's go _shopping!_" 

"Where? It's not like there's a Wal-Mart around here." 

She smirked and pointed west. "There's a village nearby. Saw the lights from fires last night. They're bound to have something, right?" 

"Famous last words." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"So, what was that you said about 'famous last words', hmm?" Rachel chuckled as she and Erica walked out of a tailors. Granted, they didn't have any more money, but with what they had bought, they'd be set for a while. They each were wearing soft dark brown leather pants, matching boots, and clean tunics. Erica had gone for the white short-sleeved top, while she had taken a sleeveless cream one. To top off their ensemble, they both had hooded cloaks to shield them from the cold wind at night. Dark purple for Erica, and forest green for herself. 

"Alright, alright. I take it back. I still can't believe you stole that knight's money," Erica said, pitching her voice so only her friend could hear her. 

"Bah. What good would he do with it? By a new javelin to butcher another dragon?" 

She winced. "A tad touchy, aren't you?" 

Rachel looked at her, then sighed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you." 

"I know. 'Sides, we have clean clothes a sight better suited to travelling than our old stuff, food for a few days and horses. The only thing that's missing is...." 

"Is what?" 

"That was your cue to tell me where we're going." 

"Oh." Rachel frowned and glanced around them warily. "Let's wait till we get out of here before I go into that, okay? This place is starting to freak me out." 

Erica nodded and pulled her cloak a bit tighter around herself, following her best friend over to the stables. She too had noticed that they were commanding a lot of attention, it was even starting to make _her _edgy, and she usually felt at home in large crowds. 

By the time she and Rachel had walked their mares out of the stables, she was certain that if people didn't stop staring at them that she was going to scream. A small part of her mind informed her that in these times, women probably weren't often seen gallivanting around the countryside, but it did little to calm her rising annoyance. She sighed and lightly patted her mare's flank before putting her foot in the stirrup and lithely pulling herself up into the saddle. The sight of Rachel scrambling to do the same made her chuckle softly, earning herself a rather nasty glare from her friend once she had managed to seat herself. 

"I was ten the last time I rode a horse, okay? I'm a little rusty is all," Rachel muttered defensively. 

"Uh huh." 

Rachel grumbled under her breath and gently urged her mare forward, intent on getting out of the village as soon as humanly possible. 

"_DRAGON!!_" 

"What?!" Erica cried as she and Rachel halted their mares, twisting in the saddle in time to see the grain field burst into flames. "Oh, lovely." 

"Sarcasm becomes you," the white haired teen smirked as she looked from her friend to the dragon that swooped by overhead, soaring towards the grainery. "Hey! That's the same one as yesterday! What the hell's he doing here?" 

"Blowing things up." 

Rachel glared at her. "No really?" 

"Yep," she smiled, gesturing to the grainery that met it's death via a couple of fireballs. "See? Um...can we go before the natives get restless?" 

"The natives are on fire, I don't see how much more restless they can get," Rachel told her while she reined in her horse, keeping her from bolting when the wind shifted, carrying the smoke in their direction. 

"I vote for running." 

"Running is good!" Rachel coughed, lightly nudging the mare in the sides with her heels. "Hiya!" 

"Wait for me!" Erica yelled, urging her horse after the other teen until they were side by side. She glanced behind them as they bolted past three other riders, her eyes widening when she saw that they were all heavily armed. _Oooh boy. This isn't good._

Rachel looked over at Erica and frowned. "What is it?" 

"Nothing. Just keep goin'," she said as she looked ahead again, putting her attention on the road they were on, hoping that they hadn't attracted any attention that would cause them trouble later on. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

The sun was at it's peak when they finally stopped at a lake to let the horses rest and drink. They had abandoned the road half an hour ago, preferring the forest to the barren path, it was certainly easier on the eyes. Rachel brought her horse to a halt and tried to stifle a groan as she slid from the saddle and dropped to the ground. 

"Not used to horseback riding?" Erica asked as she dismounted and led both horses to the water's edge. 

"No. My butt is killing me." 

She laughed softly. "You'll get used to it. Really." 

"Why aren't you in pain?" 

"My folks enrolled me in riding classes remember?" 

"Oh. Right." Rachel sighed and went to help Erica, lightly stroking her horses' arched neck as the mare drank. "What spooked you back there?" 

"Those riders we past? They were armed to the teeth. I was just hoping that none of them would get a stupid idea and try to follow us," she told her, looking over at her friend worriedly. "We don't have anything to defend ourselves with, remember?" 

"Uh, hello? Magick?" Rachel announced, wiggling her fingers in 'Rica's direction. "You know enough to defend yourself." 

"Think about it. We're in the middle ages, with knights and dragons, what do you think these people think of witches, hmm? Remember history class? Salem?" Erica frowned, seeing understanding flicker in her friend's eyes. "Exactly." 

"I didn't think of that," she admitted softly, sighing as she leaned her cheek against her mares shoulder for a moment before pushing away and moving to crouch at the lake's edge. She cupped her hands in the water and brought them up to drink her fill, wiping her hands dry on her pants afterwards. "I guess it'll be a last resort thing then." 

"Yeah.... Hey! Look!" 

"Hmm?" She turned and followed Erica's pointing finger, squinting at the shape in the air for a moment before gasping. "It's him!" 

"Geez. Talk about your frequent flier miles. He sure gets around. Wait, when did we decide that he's a 'he'?" 

"Sounds better than 'it'," she replied distractedly as she watched the far off dragon wing his way across the lake. A strangled cry escaped her moments later when she saw a ballista shot slice through the air and slam into the dragon's chest, sending him plummeting down into the lake below. 

"Oh my god...." Erica whispered. "....no." 

Rachel stared at the waves the dragon's impact with the water had created, the cold weight that had settled in the pit of her stomach suddenly turning into a churning mass of rage. Fangs bared, she spun and vaulted onto her mare's saddle, roughly swinging the horse's head around before urging the mare into a full gallop. 

"Rachel! Rachel, wait for me!" Erica yelled, scrambling to keep up with her friend. "What're you gonna do?" 

"I'm gonna have words with whoever shot that dragon!!" 

Erica shivered at the barely restrained anger in her friends voice, falling silent for a moment before nodding. "I'm with you." 

Rachel looked over at her. "You don't have to." 

"You're my friend. All for one and one for all, remember?" 

"This isn't a Disney movie." 

"Good. Cuz if someone starts singing they're gonna get a world of hurt." 

Rachel blinked, then chuckled despite herself, shaking her head in wonder. "Thanks." 

"No prob. Now c'mon!" 

She nodded and spurred her horse onwards, shooting a glance towards Erica as she did so. She knew her friend would go along with whatever she did, but it had surprised her when she had seen an identical look of rage pass over her friend's face. _Looks like I'm a bad influence on her.... Oh well...._ Leaning down in the saddle to avoid low-hanging branches from a nearby tree gave her an unexpected look through some nearby bushes, her heart hammering in her chest when she saw another rider racing away from the road. "'Rica! It's _him!_" 

"Huh?" The red haired teen followed her friend's pointing finger and gaped at the knight. "That's the same guy from the..... that means that he's the one that....." she glanced over at Rachel, seeing her friend's eyes darken. "Uh oh." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"....twenty eight.....twenty nine..... This is the best take I've gotten so far!" the knight mused as he counted his new earnings, holding a gold coin up so it reflected the sun's rays while his horse kept walking through the grain field. "Especially since I lost my savings....." He sighed, still baffled about that little fact, and moved to replace the coins into the pouch, tensing when he heard another horse riding towards him. Curious, he turned in his saddle just in time to see the white-haired woman throw herself from her horse and tackle him, sending them both crashing to the ground. 

"You bastard!!" she screeched as she landed on him, grabbed his shoulders and slammed his head into the ground. "What did he ever do to you?!" 

Erica winced as she reached them, having seen Rachel land a particularly strong punch to the knight's face a moment before. True, she hated the fact that the knight was a killer for hire, but she didn't have the same reasons behind it that Rachel had. Granted, that didn't stop her from urging her friend onwards while she rifled through the knight's saddlebags. 

"I _hate_ people like you!" Rachel growled, glaring down at the knight venomously. "You go around killing creatures just for the fun of it! For _money!_" She bared her fangs and hit him again, ignoring the pain in her knuckles as she did so. "For _pleasure_! You. Make. Me. Sick!!" She punctuated the last four words with four more hits, glaring down at him all the while. 

"What's going on here?!" 

Rachel froze in mid-punch, her fist inches away from the knight's already broken nose as Erica let out a gasp of shock from behind her. Slowly, as if in a dream, she rose her head and blinked up into a pair of golden orange eyes, her hair lifting from her shoulders as the dragon's wings beat strongly a final time before he landed on all fours and folded the great vanes against his back. 

Sunlight shimmered off of gold and bronze scales, accenting the earth-toned hues of the creature as it stepped towards her. Muscles rippled as it walked forward, it's large wings folded tightly against it's sides to allow maximum mobility on the ground, and Erica couldn't help but gasp in awe at the beauty and grace of the being that presented itself to them. The warm gaze of the creature came to rest on her for a moment before moving to her friend, and she found herself stunned at the intelligence she had seen in those eyes. 

Rachel couldn't breath for a moment, afraid that if she did that any sound she made would shatter the scene in front of her. _It's a dragon. A real dragon... He's magnificent..._ A sharp tap on her right shoulder startled her, and she gasped as she glanced back at an amused Erica. 

"You'd look mighty stupid if you passed out from lack of air," her friend pointed out. 

She blinked and turned her gaze back to the dragon, who apparently wasn't a figment of her over-active imagination, then shook herself, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "Y-you're alive!!" 

The dragon frowned. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" 

"We saw the ballista shot-" 

Erica cut her off and moved over to try to pull her away from the knight. "Rachel, I don't think that guy can breathe while you're sitting on his chest and digging your nails into his throat." 

"What's your point?" 

"My point is that if the dragon's alive then you don't have to keep tenderizing this guy's face!" Erica retorted as she grabbed her friend's cloak and literally dragged her off of him. 

"Fine fine," Rachel muttered. "My hand hurts like hell anyway." 

"Wait. Wait. You attacked him....because you thought he had killed me?" the dragon asked, looking at them in obvious shock. _Who are these women?_

"That was the reason behind the whole 'let's pulverize the knight' thing, yes," Erica answered as she used a torn strip of cloth to wrap up Rachel's right hand. "There. How's that feel?" 

"I think I broke my hand on the idjits forehead. But other than that, I'm peachy. Thanks," the white haired teen said, wincing as she gingerly flexed her fingers. Once she was sure that everything, while still hurting, was still working, she sighed and looked up at the dragon, meeting his still slightly stunned gaze. "I take it this doesn't happen a whole lot here, does it?" 

The dragon glanced at the knight, then shook his head. "Truthfully? No. It's been a very long time since a human defended a dragon." He glanced at the knight and hid a smirk as the man groaned and sat up. "Are you alright?" 

"She bwoke my nose!" 

Rachel, unable to help herself, merely grinned down at him. "I can break something else if you'd like." 

"Rachel, that seems a bit mean....even if he does deserve it," Erica added, sending a glare in the knight's direction. 

"Who the hell are you people?" the knight growled as he tried to get to his feet, yelping when the red-haired woman merely pushed him back onto the ground. 

"Sit your ass down else I'll set Rachel loose on you again." 

"What am I, an attack dog?!" 

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Erica chuckled. 

Rachel grumbled. "No." She sighed and ran her good hand through her hair, forcing herself to calm down before she looked over at the dragon. "What's the deal? He tried to kill you, why save him? I mean, it's not like you teamed up to swindle the towns...folk...." she trailed off at the amused look in the dragons eyes. "Oh." 

"I guess that explains the whole blowing up the grain field thing," Erica mused, looking over at Rachel curiously. 

"Can I get up now?" 

Rachel growled and looked down at the knight, debating if she could get another punch in before Erica could stop her. "Fine," she grumbled, blinking when he lunged to his feet and glared at her. "I suppose you expect me to be frightened right now?" 

"Rachel, don't hurt him. You just bought that tunic, blood will ruin it." 

She sighed. "Yeah yeah," she acknowledged, casually shoving the knight away from her. "Back off. You're standing in my aura." 

Erica rolled her eyes and handed the reins of one of the horses to Rachel. "We came, you hit someone, the dragon's alive and well, can we go now?" 

"Sure," Rachel shrugged, turning to vault into the saddle with a wince and a very audible groan. "I will never get used to this...." 

The dragon looked at the two women in barely veiled awe. Two complete strangers, obviously not of this land, had taken on a knight of the realm....for him. It simply amazed him that there were still souls such as theirs roaming the world. Only the Celts had such feelings for his kind. "Where will you go?" 

"That way," Rachel announced, pointing east. 

"Oh a big help you are," Erica chuckled as she leaned forward to pat her horses neck when the mare danced a little, nervous at being so close to a huge carnivore. "Seriously though. We're....uh....not from around here. So we're just basically wandering." 

"Best make sure you don't attack anyone else," the knight grumbled sourly. "I sure as hell won't come to your rescue." 

"We are not delicate waifs in need of saving," Rachel told him. "And you're just making an ass of yourself." 

"Is he always like this?" Erica asked, jerking her thumb in the knight's direction. 

The dragon chuckled. "I think his ego is a little battered at the moment," he paused and sighed. "Though I suppose he'll get worse as the pain sets in." 

"I resent that!" 

"Wow. You almost managed to look indignant," Erica said, looking over at the knight in surprise. 

"Okay, okay. That's enough of this. It's too easy and starting to get rather pitiful," Rachel said to Erica, ignoring the knight's glare. "Besides, the dragon's going to end up killing himself trying not to laugh." 

"Point." 

_How long has it been since I've laughed like that? Over a decade? _The dragon got himself under control and managed to shoot an apologetic glance in the knight's direction before looking over at the two women. _Ten minutes with these two and it's as if all the problems of the world just....vanish._

"We should get going," Rachel sighed, glancing over at the dragon a final time before looking at Erica. 

"You sure?" her friend whispered. 

She nodded. _If I don't leave now, I'm liable to attach myself to the dragon and never let go. _"Yeah." 

"No!" 

They paused, exchanging glances before turning to look at the knight who was glaring up at the dragon. 

"No way!" 

"You don't even know what I was going to suggest!" the dragon protested, annoyed. 

"I am _not_ travelling with those two! They're insane! She broke my nose!" 

"We're never going to hear the end of that," Erica whispered to Rachel, who snickered. 

"Which? The insanity or the breaking of his nose?" 

"Both." 

Rachel chuckled and looked over at the two mismatched pair that were now nearing a full fledged verbal screaming match. "Oy.... Should we?" 

"Probably," Erica shrugged, noticing the smoke rising from the dragon's nostrils. "Only we can prevent forest fires." 

The other teen groaned, shooting her friend a disgusted look before she urged her horse forward. "Hey. Hey! _WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!?!_" 

Silence. 

"That's better. Now...." she paused and frowned, twisting to look at her friend that was laughing so hard that she was having trouble staying seated on the horse."What in the worlds has gotten into you?" 

Erica wheezed. "They....they sound like....an old...." she broke out into helpless giggles, barely managing to keep herself coherent. "Like....an old....married couple!" 

Rachel blinked as her friend finally lost her grip and tumbled to the ground, still giggling uncontrollably, then threw her head back and howled with laughter. 

The knight blinked and glanced at the dragon, who was chuckling softly. "I don't want to know, do I?" 


	5. First night

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._

**First night**   


"I think I broke a rib." 

"From the laughing or from falling off the horse and rolling around on the ground like a madwoman?" 

Erica winced and threw a glare in Rachel's direction. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response." 

Rachel snickered and reached up to push her bangs out of her eyes for the umpteenth time that hour, vainly wishing that she had something to tie it back with. _My horse for a hair-clip!_ A low grumble pulled her out of her thoughts, making her look over at the knight that was riding nearby, a cloth covering his nose and bleeding split lip. "Need help?" 

"NO!" 

"Yeesh." She turned her attention back to the countryside and closed her eyes for a moment, letting the wind wash over her as she discreetly used her aura to scan the landscape, amazed at how clean and vibrant everything was. 

"Yo! Erica to Rach!" 

"Huh?" she jerked and looked over at Erica, blinking for a moment. "Sorry. What was that?" 

"I asked how your hand was doing?" 

"Well I know it's still attached due to the rather large amount of pain that's constantly making itself known...." she rose her right hand and wiggled her fingers. "But I don't think anything's broken." 

"I can fix that." 

Erica sighed and looked over at the knight, smiling at him sweetly. "It's hard for us to believe that you're being menacing when you sound like a lisping duck." 

The dragon chuckled to himself as he soared over them, casually banking to the right to start circling the trio. Whoever these women were, they weren't like any humans he had ever met before. They possessed a joy of life within them, though they also held a darkness as well. Especially the white-haired one. _White hair.... I thought only the elder humans had that colour, yet she's barely of age! _He shook his head and did another circle around them, sighing when he saw that the knight was counting his gold again. _Are the times so dark that even the knights care not for the welfare of their realm? Could I have been wrong about him? Well....I suppose there's only one way to find out._

The knight smiled as the last coin clicked into the pouch with it's brothers, chuckling as he closed the bag. "Most profitable dragon, I should have met you long ago!" 

"There is much gold in the world. Perhaps when you've had your fill of it, you'll no longer need me." 

"I'm a Knight of the Old Code. My word is my Bond!" 

The dragon did a lazy barrel-roll, wings curling around him. "No compunctions then?" 

Rachel blinked and glanced back at the knight, staring at him for a moment before raising her gaze to the circling dragon and frowning. _What's he up to?_

"Fleecing Einon's lackeys," the knight gave a short chuckle. "That's a service to mankind." 

Erica brought her horse next to Rachel's and leaned closer, looking back at the two that had fallen behind a ways. "Who's Einon?" 

"Damned if I know," the teen shrugged, watching the dragon curiously. 

"Is it?" the dragon asked, wings spread wide as he copied the two-legger stance, walking backwards while he looked down at he knight. "When you squeeze the nobility, it's the peasants that feel the pinch." 

"Why should I stick my neck out for people afraid to risk their own?" the knight growled. "Don't clutter up a clever scheme with morality!" 

The dragon stared a him a moment, then shrugged, hopping on one foot for a moment before taking to the air again. "So be it, Knight of the Old Code!" 

"If I wanted my conscience pricked I would have stayed with the priest!" The knight looked away from the once again circling dragon and smirked derisively. "What does a dragon know of the Old Code anyway?" 

Rachel's eyes narrowed at the condescending tone, feeling Erica reach out to grasp her arm, stopping her from interfering. _Oooh if I could reach you I would give you SUCH a smack!_

One more flyby, and the dragon proved exactly why most people didn't dare dragons like that. "His blade defends the helpless, his might upholds the weak, his word speaks only truth--" 

"Shut up! I was there! That's all it is, a memory! Nothing can bring it back," the knight spat, stubbornly refusing to look at the creature that had landed and was now walking next to his horse. 

Startled by the bitterness in the human's voice, the dragon turned his head to look at him. "You sound like one who tried." 

"And failed! So I no longer try to change the world, dragon, I just try to get by in it." 

He had to agree with him there. "Well....it's better than death I suppose." Nothing could have prepared him for what the knight said next. 

"Is it? I should think you'd welcome death. You know, the last of your kind, all your friends dead, hunted wherever you go." 

_I. Am. Going. To. KILL. Him!_ Rachel struggled to get out of Erica's hold, seeing the dragon stop dead in his tracks as he stared at the knight, an expression of pure torture on his face. 

"Do you _delight_ in reminding me?! Yes, knight! I _do_ long for death! But.....fear it." 

The knight reined his horse to a full stop and turned in the saddle to look at the creature. "Why? Besides your misery, what's to lose?" 

"My soul," the dragon answered, raising his gaze to meet that of the knight, the emotion in those two words making the human turn away and urge his steed forward again. He sighed and followed, fanning his wings slightly as he walked. _That didn't go as well as I had hoped....._ The sound of a yelp made him raise his gaze from the ground in front of him, blinking when he saw that the two women had trapped the knight between them and had just smacked him in the back of the head. 

"Excuse me!" Rachel said innocently as she and Erica urged their horses past him. "My hand slipped!" 

Erica grinned and smacked him again. "So did mine!" 

"Oh, by the way! We forgot to give this back!" Rachel grinned, winking at Erica as she threw the empty coin purse back at the knight, laughing when he caught the pouch and sputtered in incoherent rage. While he busied himself with acting like an idiot, she exchanged high-fives with Erica, the two of them laughing at the expression on his face. 

"So," Erica said once they were far enough ahead that the knight couldn't hear them. "Where are we going? Are we sticking with them or not?" 

"Truthfully, I'm drawing a blank," Rachel sighed. "I've read this book cover to cover a dozen times, and I don't remember a wish spell or a time-travel spell anywhere in it." 

"Does that mean.....we're stuck here?" Erica whispered 

"I don't know. 'Rica. I really don't." She paused and ran her good hand through her hair again, a nervous gesture. "I'm hoping that we can get lucky and find another spellbook or something.... There's got to be some reason that we were pulled here. I can't believe that it's all because of a stupid wish." 

"It wasn't a stupid wish!" Erica protested. "You wanted to be happy! That's not stupid!" 

"Maybe, but I certainly didn't mean to drag you into this mess." 

"Actually, I'm kinda enjoying myself." 

"You're kidding." 

"No way! This is way better than some stupid school field trip to an art museum! We're on our own, no parents, no one to yell at us....well, there's that idjit knight, but I don't think he can do much...." Erica trailed off when she saw Rachel's look of shock and reached out to pat her arm lightly. "I made that wish too, y'know. Besides, you're saving me from violin lessons." 

Rachel chuckled softly. "Thanks, 'Rica." 

"Anytime," her friend smiled. "So? Once again. What's the plan?" 

"I still have no clue. I still have the feeling that we're here for something other than the wish...." she paused and shrugged. "S'up to you, do we stick around or take off?" 

Erica glanced back at the still grumbling knight and grinned. "Oh let's stay for a bit. The entertainment factor is rather high around here." She chuckled and looked at her friend. "Besides, you can't tell me that you're not the least excited about all this." 

"He's got a small part of my attention," Rachel said, grinning all the while. 

"Liar!" 

"Am not!" 

"Are too!" 

"Not!" 

"Too!" 

"Will you two shut up?!?!" 

The two teens both turned and glared at the knight. "NO!" 

The man grumbled. "Why me? And will you stop laughing?!?" The last was directed to the chuckling dragon next to him. 

The dragon coughed lightly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he smothered his laughter, avoiding the knight's glare as he looked at the two snickering women riding ahead of them. He watched them lean close to each other, whispering something before they broke apart, and he blinked when the white-haired one glanced back at him, their gazes locking for a moment before she smiled and looked away. _What is it about these two?_ The sound of the knight loudly clearing his throat made him realize that the human had been saying something, and he quickly turned his attention to where it was being called. "Pardon?" 

"I _said_ that we should start trying to find a decent campsite. It's not long till nightfall." 

He nodded. "Are you going to tell them or shall I?" he asked, gesturing to the two women with his snout. 

"You do it, I'm going ahead." 

_Bruised a little more than your nose, did they?_ The dragon silently watched the knight spur his horse towards the nearby forest their group was heading for and sighed. _This is going to be a long night._

"Hey! Where the hell's he goin'?" Rachel cried as the knight rode past them, urging his horse into a full gallop. 

"Hmm....think we pissed him off?" 

"Well let's see," Erica mused out loud, counting on her fingertips. "First you threw a rock at him, punched him, stole his money, then you attacked him, broke his nose, we waged verbal warfare on him and won with very little effort, then we smacked him around a few times....yes. Yes, I do think we pissed him off." 

"Good. My hand still hurts." 

"You have such a twisted sense of priorities." 

"Oh look who's talking miss 'you can destroy my five hundred dollar violin but if you touch my comic book stash I'll have to kill you'." 

"It's not the same thing!" 

"Ha!" 

"Oh 'ha' yourself." 

"Excuse me." 

The two teens blinked and glanced over at the dragon that was now walking by their side. 

He smiled. "Bowen's gone ahead to scout out a campsite for the night. You'd best keep up with him, he's liable to leave you behind." 

"Lovely," Erica muttered, turning her gaze in the direction the knight had gone in. "Can't see him. Rach?" She looked over at her friend and watched her for a moment as the teen stared into the forest, then smiled when she nodded and pointed. 

"Got 'im," Rachel announced. 

The dragon blinked and followed her pointing finger, frowning when his eagle-sharp eyesight could barely make out the knight riding through the trees. "How did-- Well. You certainly have excellent eyesight for a human. Er...no offence." 

"None taken. So....we'll see you at the campsite then?" 

He looked at her, surprised at the tone of hope in her voice, then smiled at her warmly and nodded. "If you haven't reached us by dusk I'll come looking for you." 

"Don't worry. Erica has a wicked sense of direction," Rachel grinned, glancing over at her best friend, who blushed. "We'll see ya there! C'mon 'Rica!" 

The dragon watched the two ride into the forest in hot pursuit of the knight and spread his wings, stretching them for a moment before he crouched and lunged into the air, wings snapping downwards for the crucial downbeat. _If I know Bowen, he's going to try to lose them in the forest. That human can be so infuriating...._ He sighed and soared over the treetops, stifling a undignified yelp when he flew too close to a particularly tall maple tree, the leaves tickling his underbelly. A quick altitude adjustment and a glance downwards afforded him with the sight of the two women racing through the forest, and he blinked when the white-haired one looked up at him and grinned. 

Returning the grin with one of his own, he met her gaze and rose his right foreclaw to point in the direction that the knight was heading, catching her grateful wave before she reached out to tap her friend on the shoulder, relaying his directions. _This is how it should be. We should be working together, not trying to kill each other. _He frowned and turned his attention to the horizon, the protective inner lids of his eyes shuttering down to shield his sight from the light and wind as he studied the slowly setting sun. It had been so long since he had dared to come out into the light, having lived in the darkness and shadows for what seemed like an eternity. It felt so good to feel the warmth and wind on his scales again.... 

"Look out for the tree! Bank left!! _Left!! _Ack!" 

Realizing that he had unconsciously closed his eyes to bask in the long missed sensations of flight, he gasped and automatically obeyed the yell, opening his eyes in time to blink at a rather stunned eagle as he swooped past it's oak tree home. _Oh, very good. Now you look like a complete idiot._ He sighed and looked down, searching for the riders for a moment before growling in frustration and turning on his wingtip, his gaze darting over the forest floor. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Have I mentioned my large dislike of horses lately?" Rachel groaned from where she lay on her back on the ground, her right hand lying on the growing bump on her forehead. 

"Well if you'd pay attention to where the horse is going instead of staring up at the dragon like a gaping moron then you'd know when to duck to avoid the low branches," Erica said, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle at the face that Rachel made. "Can you get up?" 

"I could, but I'm not gonna." 

"Oh for the love of.... Here." Erica reached down and pulled her friend to her feet, looking at the bruise for a moment before sighing. "That's gonna hurt in the morning." 

"It hurts now!" 

"Wait till morning. It'll hurt more." 

Rachel groaned again and pushed away from the other teen, stumbling slightly before she managed to regain her balance, allowing her to approach her horse. "You are an evil, evil horse." 

"Oh come on! It's not her fault!" Erica laughed as she copied Rachel's actions and pulled herself up into the saddle. 

"Evil!" 

"You're just miffed cuz the knight's gonna laugh." 

Rachel grumbled under her breath and reached up to touch the bump, wincing as she pulled away and glanced at her fingers. "Well, at least I'm not bleeding." 

"There, see? Things aren't that bad." 

"You just have to find something good in every situation don't you? That is _really _annoying." 

"You'd rather I start inventing rather inappropriate and biologically impractical and impossible things that are accented by a wide range of curses to describe the present situation?" Erica asked, sending a pointed look in her friend's direction. 

The teen grumbled. "Just shut up and ride." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

High above the trees, the dragon chuckled to himself and shook his head, inwardly berating himself for laughing at the woman's misfortune, but unable to quell the mirth that still continued to rise within him. Those two were unlike any beings he had met before, and he ached to talk to them, wanting to know where they were from, why they were travelling, how they had become such close friends, and especially why the white-haired one looked at him with such awe and admiration. _Granted with the knight nearby the chances of being able to talk to either of them privately is rather slim...._

Noticing that the two were now a good ways ahead of him, he shifted the angle of his wings, ending his laborious hover as he begun to soar over the forest again, following them to the campsite. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"That was one experience that I could have gladly skipped," Rachel sighed as she dropped the saddle onto the ground and loosely tethered her horse to a tree, letting it graze on the fresh grass while she moved to go sit under a large maple. It hadn't been hard for them to find the knight, there wasn't much else he could go, considering that the forest ended in a small clearing just before a thirty foot high cliff. "My head is killing me." 

"Not much I can do about it," Erica murmured apologetically as she moved to sit next to her, setting the backpack between them. "Want an apple?" 

"Sure." She accepted the fruit and took a bite out of it, savouring the wondrous taste of it as she chewed. A low grumble made her look over at the knight as he tried to skewer the skinned body of a rabbit on a make-shift spit (aka a stick), managing only to split the stick in half. "Yo. Einstein!" She grabbed a thin branch next to her and tossed it at him. "Use that one." 

"Since when are you helping him?" Erica whispered curiously. 

"Since I have a headache and don't want to listen to his complaining more than I absolutely have to," she replied, reaching up to undo the clasp of her cloak and shrugging out of it, sighing happily. "'Sides, I'm in a good mood." 

"Really? Wow. You have to start running headlong into branches more often," Erica smiled, breaking out into helpless laughter at the glare that Rachel sent her. Her giggles were infectious apparently, because the other teen dissolved into soft chuckles moments later, leaning back against the tree as she laughed. 

Rachel smiled once she had managed to get herself under control and took another bite out of her apple, turning her gaze to the forest to her left when a low rumble announced the arrival of the fourth member of their rag-tag group. She swallowed her mouthful of food as she watched the dragon emerge from the treeline, moving until he was a good three meters from the still dormant campfire before he settled himself down on his stomach, raising his right foreclaw to rest his cheek on it in a very human gesture. A sudden nudge in her ribs made her look over at Erica, who snickered and pointed to the knight that was trying to use a flint and his sword to start a fire. The dragon obviously thought this sight was rather entertaining too, though he took pity on the knight faster than she would have. 

"I can--" He trailed off at the annoyed look the human sent him. "I really can." When the knight ignored him and set about trying to start his own fire, the dragon smirked and took in a breath, a single taloned digit pressing his right nostril closed as he exhaled through his snout, the blast of fire consuming the campfire...and the rabbit. 

The sudden sight of the ground around the campfire becoming ablaze made him cut off his flame, and he chuckled as he watched the knight scurry around to try to isolate the now brightly burning campfire. "Sorry, Bowen. I hope you like it well done." 

Erica looked from the scene to Rachel, meeting her friends gaze for a moment before they both broke out into wild laughter. She found the strength to raise a hand to point at the knight that was glaring at them and wheezed. "You....should've seen....your face!!" 

The knight grumbled out a rather inappropriate suggestion of what he thought they could do, ignoring the warning growl from the dragon as he picked up a stick and poked at his cooking meal. 

"Oh that was rich," Rachel chuckled, wiping tears from her eyes before gently pushing a still giggling Erica off of herself. "Off." 

"Sorry, sorry," Erica gasped, moving away from where she had fallen over onto her friend and shifting to lean back against the tree, snickering softly. By the time she had gotten herself under control, both Rachel and the dragon were looking at her in amusement, and she blushed at the attention. "Oh leave me alone." 

Rachel smirked and reached out to grab another apple out of the backpack, sinking her fangs into it hungrily and blinking at the dragon's low rumble. She arched a pure white eyebrow at him and quickly swallowed. "What?" 

He opened his mouth, but then shut it again, darting a glance at the knight. When he saw her gaze darken slightly, he sighed and changed the topic, not wanting to provoke another fight between her and the knight. "You never told us your names," he said instead, contenting himself with simple chat. 

"Hmm. I'm Rachel, and that's Erica," she told him, scowling when Erica stole her apple. "Hey!" 

"What? I'm hungry and it's the last one." 

She grumbled but nodded, folding her arms over her chest as she looked over at the dragon. "So, gonna return the favour?" 

"The knight is known as Bowen. As for myself," he paused and chuckled. "I'm afraid that you wouldn't be able to pronounce it." 

_Wanna bet?_ But she let it slide, not knowing how Bowen would react if she let her guard down and stopped hiding her 'gifts'. "Fair enough," she murmured, her gaze darting to the fire when Erica tossed the apple core into it. 

"Yeah," Erica smiled, sending a teasing look in her friend's direction."Rach speaks only two languages. English and bad English." 

"You are so not helping." 

The dragon smiled as he watched them tease each other and shifted his position slightly. He was well aware of how long it had been since he had flown so far in one day's time, the telltale ache in the wing muscles of his back and chest were proof of it, and he wanted nothing more than to stretch out and relax. But between the simple lack of room and the rather irritated Bowen sitting in front of him, he had a feeling that relaxation was not going to come to him this night. 

A loud belch announced Bowen's completion of his meal, and he grimaced at the sound, glancing towards the two women as they let out loud disgusted protests and threw a few pebbles at the other human. 

"What?" Bowen yelped, ducking the barrage. "What'd I do?!" 

"Ugh. Men," Erica growled. 

Rachel grumbled in agreement and moved so she was lying on her back, staring up at the darkening sky for a moment before yawning and pulling her cloak over herself, dimly aware that Erica was doing the same. "Anyone who wakes me before sunrise looses a limb. Well, except for the dragon, I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with him." 

Bowen scowled at the barb and seriously debated throwing something at her, like a well aimed arrow, but the look her friend shot him told him that if he did that, he'd better get the both of them at one time else he was a dead man. Still, the two had a good idea. It had been a long day, and his face was sore. A few hours sleep would do him good. 

He stifled a yawn of his own and went to retrieve his bedroll, lying the heavy material down on the ground before setting his shield out of the range of the flames. A low rumble from behind him made him glance over at the dragon, noting that the beasts gaze was fixed on the dragon talons that adorned his shield. One talon for every dragon he had killed. 

"You must have hated us very much," the dragon said mournfully, shifting his gaze from the talons to the human. 

Bowen sighed, glancing over to make sure the two meddling women were asleep before sitting down and pulling his cloak over himself. "I hated one of you. The rest I killed because I wanted to kill him. But if you're the last, then he must be dead." 

"Ah yes." He hid the pain of those words with a forced interest as he moved closer to the knight. "Tell me. What was he like, this...dragon that you hated?" 

The knight glanced away, the pain of the memory almost overwhelming him, his voice turning cold and harsh. "He had only half a heart... but even that was enough to pollute an innocent boy." 

_What?!_ "Einon was no innocent! _He_ polluted the heart!!" 

Bowen's eyes widened, and he threw his cloak aside as he lunged to his feet. "How do you know that?! How do you know that dragon?!" 

_Uh oh._ "Umm...." The dragon scratched at the scales on the back of his neck sheepishly, his mind franticly racing for a way to get himself out of the predicament he had just gotten himself into. "....all dragons know _that_ story! What was to be their hope became their doom! A spoiled, ungrateful child was given a great gift, and _destroyed it!_" 

"No! I was his teacher!" Bowen shot back, ignoring the cold knot in the pit of his stomach. "I taught him the ways of honour! Of right!" 

"The he betrayed you," the dragon lowered himself as he spoke, until his gaze was equal with Bowens, "just as he betrayed the dragon whose heart he broke." 

The knight bristled. "That's a lie, dragon!" 

He growled lowly. "_Stop_ calling me _dragon!_ I have a name!" Oh this wasn't going at all the way it was supposed to. He wasn't exactly sure how is was supposed to go, but he was sure this wasn't it. 

"Well....what is it?" 

He snorted, rolling his eyes as he rose his head away from him. "You couldn't _possibly_ pronounce it in your tongue." 

Bowen smirked. "Try me." 

"It's--" the dragon cut himself off with a growl of pain as red hot agony shot through his left shoulder, and he rose his right claw to clutch at the glowing flesh. A wordless cry escaped him moments later as the pain shifted, weaving it's way from his shoulder straight to his heart, the resulting wave of torture sending him crashing to the ground. 

Rachel bolted upright. She had been listening to them talk, and at the dragon's sudden cry of agony she had been afraid that the knight had attacked him, but as she scrambled to her feet and ran over to him, she could see no wound, only a terribly bright and very hot patch on his shoulder. She spun to look at the knight, eyes wide in worry. "What happened?" 

"I don't know!" he gasped, glancing at the dragon's tormented expression. "There's no actual wound!" 

Mind racing, she turned to survey the camp, her gaze darting over the still sleeping Erica before landing on her discarded cloak. _Bingo!_ "Stay with him!" 

Bowen watched her dart over to grab her cloak before she bolted into the dark forest, and he had half a mind to follow her, only the dragons anguished groan kept him where he was. He moved back to give the creature room as he rolled from his side onto his stomach, a constant grimace of pain on his face as he favoured his left foreleg, the shoulder still glowing an eerie red. 

Rapid footsteps drew him attention back to the girl as she ran back to them, her cloak now completely soaked with cool water. "How did you...? I didn't see a stream nearby." 

_That's because there ISN'T a stream nearby. Thank the Gods for magick..._ "It's a really small stream," she muttered as she let the knight take the other edges of the cloak, both of then reaching up to lie the soaked material over the dragon's shoulder. Steam rose like a cloud as the mysterious 'wound' cooled, and she waved her hand in front of her face to try to clear the air as she stumbled over to the dragon's head. 

"Oh....thank you," the dragon sighed as the terrible agony withered to only a slight stiffness. 

"What was it?" Bowen frowned. 

_The price I paid...._ "An old complaint that acts up now and again," he muttered, seeing Rachel kneel next to his crossed forelegs, her gaze filled with worry. He found himself leaning his head closer to her, sighing when she reached out to rub her curled fingers over his left eyeridge. 

"Forgive me....if I....if I upset you in any way," Bowen said softly, drawing both the girl's and the dragon's gazes. 

"It wasn't you.... not you," he answered, sighing again as he shifted and slouched onto his right side, suddenly very tired and very drained. He closed his eyes and let the familiar darkness claim him, willingly letting himself be pulled into a dreamless sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Rachel frowned as she lay a hand on the dragon's left foreleg, very aware of the power beneath the scales she was touching. _Gods.... What was that? That wasn't 'an old complaint', that was pure agony! _She sighed and shook her head slightly, annoyed that she couldn't put the pieces together. _Well, I can at least Heal him while he sleeps...._ She glanced over at the knight to make sure he wasn't looking and quickly traced a symbol in the air, smiling as it glowed blue before fading. The dragon shifted in his sleep then, and she couldn't stop a relieved sigh from escaping her as the tenseness and remaining pain left him, letting him enter a more peaceful slumber. 

"You should get some sleep," Bowen said, looking over at her as she rose to her feet and brushed dirt off of her pants. "I'll watch over him." 

_Well well. The pain-in-the-arse isn't so cold hearted after all._ "Thanks," she murmured, casting a final look towards the sleeping dragon before returning to her spot next to a lightly snoring Erica. _Yeesh. Last night she couldn't fall asleep because of a stupid owl, now she can sleep through a crisis. 'Rica, thou art bizarre._ She rolled onto her back and turned her head to look over at the sleeping dragon and the knight that was now sitting close to him, watching him with surprising concern. Satisfied that she wasn't going to have to beat the living tar out of Bowen, she sighed and closed her eyes, letting the exhaustion of the day's events claim her. 


	6. The naming and a bit of relaxing

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   


**The naming and a bit of relaxing**   
****   
****

A low groan of someone moving despite tired muscles tugged at the dragon's consciousness nearly three hours later, and he slowly opened a single eye to peer at Bowen as the human pulled his cloak tighter around himself, seeking to chase the chill of the night from himself. A little startled, he shifted slightly to look at him. "Have you been watching over me all night?" 

Bowen jerked, turning to look in the direction of the rich voice. He met the dragon's gaze for a moment before shrugging, trying to hide his relief. "I've....been thinking." 

"Oh? About what?" he asked, raising his head to stay equal with the human's eye level as the knight slowly got to his feet. He spared a glance at the two forms across the fire, sighing when he saw that Rachel was curled up, her arms hugging herself to protect herself from the cold. _I'll have to remember to give her cloak back to her...._

"Many things," Bowen answered, unknowingly making the dragon chastise himself for not paying attention. "Mostly about what to call you. I think I've found you a name." 

He chuckled softly, surprised at the boyish enthusiasm that the knight had tried to hide with those words. "You say that as if you plucked it from the sky." 

"I did. Up there...." The knight realized that he sounded stupid and quickly turned, raising a hand to point at a specific constellation. "Do you see that group of stars?" 

The dragon followed his pointing finger and nodded. "Oh, I know those stars very well." 

Bowen glanced at him. "We call it Draco," at the dragon's curious look, he explained. "It means 'dragon', in the scholar speech." 

"So instead of calling me 'dragon' in your tongue, you'll call me dragon in some other tongue," the dragon rumbled, amused. 

"...you're right... It's silly." 

He realized that his attempt at teasing the knight had been taken seriously, and rose the his tail to stop the human from walking away. "No! No..." He met Bowen's gaze and smiled gently. "I would be honoured to be named after those stars. I...I truly would. Thank you, Bowen. ....Draco...." He rose his eyes to the stars, staring at them almost longingly. "Draco...." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Hey! Wake up! It's time to go!" 

"Hrmfpt..... lemme alone! M'sleepin'!" Erica mumbled, swatting at the hand that was insistently shaking her. When it didn't stop, she growled and shoved it away, moodily sitting up to glare at Bowen. "Alright! Alright! I'm up! I'm up! Gods.... bloody sadist...." She yawned and raked her nails through her hair, pulling out a twig with a grimace of annoyance before she became aware that the knight was moving to wake Rachel up. "You may not want to touch her." 

"Why?" he frowned. 

"Because whatever part of you touches me, you're not getting back," Rachel growled, opening an eye to look up at him through the curtain of her hair. "It's _too early_. Go. Away." 

"Fine. Then I guess I'll just leave you here. Doesn't bother me. As long as you two are both far, far away, it's the best deal I'm going to get this decade." 

"Oooh look. He developed a sense of humour overnight!" Erica smirked. 

"Mrft." 

"Rachel! Don't you dare fall back asleep! Rachel! _Rachel!!_ ARGH!!" 

"Problems?" 

Erica blinked and looked over at the dragon that hadn't been next to her a moment before. "Ack! Er... I mean.... good morning!" 

Draco smiled and carefully stepped past her, lowering his head to lightly nudge the white-haired teen in the ribs with his snout, chuckling at the sleepy grumble that escaped her. "Rachel. It's time to go." 

"Jus five more minutes...." 

He looked down at her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright." 

"_What?!_" 

The dragon turned his head to look at the knight. "Bowen, why don't you and Erica go ahead? It isn't as if the next village is terribly close. It's still over a day's ride for you. We'll catch up." 

"That's no freakin' fair," Erica grumbled as she stomped over to her horse and quickly saddled it. "She gets to sleep in and _I'm_ stuck with el pain-in-the-arse. She gets all the luck...." 

"Are you finished?" Bowen scowled as he pulled himself up onto the saddle, looking over at her in annoyance. 

Erica glared at him once she was safely settled on her horse, the reins heavy in her tired hands. "I haven't even _begun!_" 

Draco chuckled and settled himself near the still-sleeping teen, looking at her curiously for a moment. "You're awake, aren't you?" 

"More than I want to be, yes," she muttered. "Are they gone?" 

He turned to look into the forest. "Far enough that they cannot hear us." 

"Good." She yawned and rolled onto her back, staring up at him. "Why the hell do you put up with him? Better yet : _how_ do you put up with him?" 

"Lots of flying," he chuckled, resting his chin on his forelegs as he gazed at her. "Answer me something?" 

"Sure." 

"Why did you attack Bowen that time in the fields?" 

She frowned and sat up. "I told you that already : I thought he had killed you." 

He said nothing, merely watched her until she blushed and looked away. "I could have been attacking villages. Stealing livestock. What if he had had a reason to kill me?" 

Rachel shook her head. "But you didn't." 

"How do you know?" 

"Because...." _Idiot girl! Don't tell him!_ She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Just because. I follow my intuition. Besides, if you were a killer, you wouldn't have given him all those warnings back at the waterfall. And you would have attacked the moment he was distracted." 

"Mmhm." He rose his head and looked at her. _She's hiding something.... but her scent just changed, she's....she's afraid!_ Realizing that he had unknowingly triggered something within her, he quickly averted his gaze, shifting so that he was in a more relaxed posture, trying to calm her. "I'm sorry. I suppose that it's been so long since someone has so readily defended one of my kind that....well I'm plainly stunned!" 

"Yeah well, judging by the people I've met so far around here, it's a miracle they haven't started killing each other off," she muttered, grimacing as she pulled grass out of her hair. "So....why exactly are we staying behind anyway?" 

"Two things. First," he picked her cloak off the ground and gingerly shook it before holding it out to her. "Thank you for last night." 

"No problem," she smiled, taking her cloak back from him, surprised that it was completely dry. "What's number two?" 

"That, is something that I am not forcing you to do." At her curious look, he ducked his head down slightly to meet her gaze. "You and Erica are so unlike anyone I've ever met. Would you tell me of yourself?" 

Rachel blinked. "Uh. Well....there's a tad of a problem with that. See, when 'Rica an I said we weren't from around here.... we're a _long_ ways from home. Things are...." she trailed off and frowned. "Things are completely different where we come from." She chuckled humourlessly and glanced at him. "You'd think we were nuts." _Or demons._

He grinned. "Try me." 

She looked at him for a moment, a part of her wanting to tell him, and another, the part that had kept her alive all these years with her fosters, wanted her to shut up before she got herself killed. Finally, she sighed and closed her eyes. "How do people react to magick around here?" 

_Magick? No one speaks of that so openly....unless she truly doesn't know any better. _"As far as I know, they don't react well to it at all. Those who are caught practicing it are.... Well, you don't need to know that." 

"I'm pretty sure I already know. They're tortured then burned at the stake, right?" When he nodded solemnly, she winced. "Better watch it then. The reason is... it's not a matter of _where_ 'Rica an I are from.... but _when_." 

"'When'?" he repeated, frowning at her. "What are you saying?" 

_Oh well. I've started this, might as well finish it..._ "'Rica an I are Wiccans. Witches. We were going to practice some spells and.... we must have accidentally triggered something...." she frowned and stared at the ground, shaking her head slightly. "The next thing we knew, we were in the middle of a grain field being shot at by some psycho farmer. We're from another _time_. Maybe a completely different world." 

Draco stared at her for a long moment, struggling to comprehend what she was saying. She was certainly telling the truth, or what she believed was the truth, he could tell by the look in her eyes, and the subtle changes in her scent. But another time? Another _world?!_ What that even possible? _If there's a Dragon's Heaven.... who's to say that there aren't any other places other than this plane of existence? But there's something missing... why would she be so distraught.....oh dear...._ "You can't go home, can you?" 

She shrugged and got to her feet. "We don't know yet. Hell, we don't even know how or why we're here! I can't believe it's all over my stupid wish. Because if it is, then I've trapped 'Rica with me. And she was already...." 

"Already what?" he coaxed gently. 

"....safe. Happy. Loved. Wanted. Take your pick." Rachel turned and went to saddle her horse, very aware of the dragon's gaze on her as she worked. Once she was finished, she grabbed her cloak and stuffed it into one of the saddlebags along with her backpack, securing them before vaulting into the saddle. "We'd better get going." 

He rose to his feet, alarmed at the life-weary tone in her voice. "Wait." When she stilled her horse and turned her turmoiled gaze on him, he slowly approached her. "Why do you place so much trust in me?" 

She smiled sadly. "Because all that's been keeping me going for the last ten years of my life is my love and respect for your kind," she whispered, holding his stunned gaze for a moment longer before she urged her horse into a full gallop, bolting into the safety of the woods. 

Draco stared after her for a few minutes, unable to break himself out of the shock he had felt at her words. She had spoken truth, that much he was certain of, but he found himself with more questions than he had answers for. Most of which he knew she couldn't answer. Shaking himself out of his semi-trance, he crouched and leapt into the air, gaining altitude quickly before following her. _I may have pushed my luck too far.... she doesn't look like she has any intention of slowing down anytime soon...._ He banked slightly and started to lazily circle her, waiting until she had reached another field and slowed her horses' pace before daring to go closer. 

"You must think I'm complete idiot," Rachel said, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she watched him circle her once before landing nearby. 

"No," he told her. "You know I don't." He slowly approached her until he was by her side, close enough that his wingtip brushed her horses' flank everytime he took a step. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you." 

She shrugged. "It's a touchy subject. You didn't know." 

They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke up again. "I almost forgot. You asked me for my name yesterday, did you not? It's not my true one, but I'm fond of it just the same," he smiled, catching her curious glance. "It's Draco." 

"'Draco'? That's like the stars, isn't it?" 

He turned his head to look at her fully. "You know of them?" 

"Yeah. Not a lot, but I've studied a few legends and such." 

"Then....you know that they aren't mere stars." 

She smiled. "Yeah, I know. Dragon's Heaven." 

"The stars...." he paused for a moment, unsure if he wanted the answer. "Do they shine brightly where you come from?" 

Rachel frowned and looked over at him, curious as to why he suddenly sounded so solemn. "When the weather's good, yeah. They do." She turned her attention back to where they were going and smiled to herself. "When I was a child, I used to sneak out of my parents house and go stare at those stars for hours on end. There were times I put my folks into a panic because I had fallen asleep in the fields... It was like.... Oh I dunno.... Comforting. Warm. Protective. Looking at them always made be feel better, no matter what was happening at the time." 

When he didn't say anything, she cast a wary glance at him, pulling her horse to a halt when she saw that he had stopped a while back and was staring at her. She frowned and twisted in the saddle to look at him fully. "What? What is it?" 

He held her gaze and slowly approached her until his head was as close to hers as he dared. No human, not even the Celts, had ever understood the feeling that all dragons felt when they looked at their Heaven. But she had described it so perfectly. What was different about this one? 

"Okay, Draco, you're really starting to freak me out here," Rachel whispered, disturbed at how he was staring at her. It was as if he was looking into her very soul. He exhaled sharply then, the gust of air lifting her hair from her shoulders, and she winced when his eyes widened at the sight of her pointed ears. 

"Life hasn't been kind to you, has it?" he rumbled when he saw her flinch as if she was expecting him to lash out at her. He backed away a bit to give her room, inwardly wondering if his assumptions were correct. _I'll have to be careful...but how does one tell a human that she isn't...human?_

"No. It hasn't." She fidgeted under his gaze and finally urged her mare in the direction they had been walking in before, staring down at her bandaged hand for a moment before looking over at the dragon that was keeping pace. "You really want to know everything about me, don't you? Why?" 

"I'd like to. But as I said before, I won't force you," he said. "As for 'why'.... I was merely curious before. Now..." he trailed off and looked over at her, trying to determine how she was going to react. "Now I'm interested to know how an Elf has found her way back to her Homeland." 

Rachel blinked. "Cripple that and run it by me again. I'm a what now?" 

"An Elf." 

"An Elf? Okay look, I know that I'm not normal as humans go, but an Elf? You've got to be joking." 

_This is going to take some work._ "You find solace in the forests and near the water. Magicks are second nature to you, you learn them without any real effort. Judging by your age, I'd guess that your senses are just beginning to sharpen beyond anything you had thought possible. And that you're just starting to develop a rather powerful intuition." He cast a sideways look at her. "Am I correct?" When he saw the stunned expression on her face, he smiled and lightly bumped her with his wing. "Breathe." 

She gasped softly and gaped at him. "How did you-?" 

"My dear, there is much that I could shock you with," he chuckled, meeting her gaze warmly. "You are unique, Rachel. It's been well over three hundred years since the Elven tribes died out." 

"Three hundred.... You...?" 

"Oh Heaven's no! I'm not _that _old," he grinned, trying to goad her out of her shock. "The knowledge was passed down to me when I was a hatchling. If you want....I could tell you all I know about them." 

"Not now. This conversation is really pushing my limits of coherency. This....this is kinda...." 

"Overwhelming?" 

"That doesn't even begin to describe it," she sighed, reaching up to massage her aching temple with her left hand. "But...thanks. I suppose it explains a lot of things. Drastic change of subject : why exactly are you and Bowen swindling villages anyway?" 

Draco smiled in relief as he looked over at her, reassured that he hadn't done the wrong thing by telling her of her previously unknown heritage. "Our deal? It was an attempt to prolong the inevitable, I suppose. He being the last dragonslayer, and I being the last dragon. It's a rather long story that I don't wish to darken this conversation with." He sent her an apologetic glance. "Perhaps when I find the courage to tell it, I'll seek you out." 

"I ain't going anywhere," she told him, reaching up to shove her bangs out of her eyes as they crossed the field. Movement far ahead made her gently bring her horse to a stop, and she frowned as she shifted to stand up in the stirrups, raising a hand to block the sun so she could see. "Is that...?" 

He followed her gaze. "Bowen and Erica," he answered, unable to stop a sigh from escaping. "Ah well, back into the fray." 

"I don't wanna." 

"I don't think we have much choice," he pointed out as he turned to look at her, smiling when he saw that she was actually rather relaxed. 

"Well that's less than comforting," she sighed, resting her elbow on her right knee and sinking her chin into the palm of her hand. "You do realize that it'll be a miracle if Erica hasn't goaded him into a sputtering rage, right? Do you really want to put up with that all day?" 

"Ugh." 

"Me neither. C'mon!" She grinned and lightly nudged the horse with the smooth heel of her right boot, gently urging the mare into a full gallop, heading for a nearby patch of forest. 

Draco looked after her curiously, then glanced over at the two riders far ahead of them, feeling guilty about abandoning them. But the thought that he might actually be able to relax for a little while pulled at him insistently, nawing at his conscience until it finally released him, letting him leap into the air and wing his way after Rachel. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Now isn't this better than putting up with the Grumbling Wonder?" Rachel grinned half an hour later as she stretched luxuriously, relaxing completely as she lay down on the grass, the sound of the nearby river mixing with the soothing sounds of the surrounding forest. There was an agreeing groan from her right, and she smirked as she turned her head to look over at Draco as he stretched out onto his stomach, wings half-spreading as he basked in the sunlight. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." 

He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in the warmth of the sun and the feel of the forest around him before looking over at the woman that was on her back a little ways from him. "Thank you." 

"For what?" 

"Bringing me here." 

"No problem," she smiled as she slipped her left hand behind her head and closed her eyes, raising her face to the sun. Like always, the moment she relaxed, her senses seemed to stretch out to encompass everything around her. The sound of the nearby river, the scent of the earth under her, the feel of the wind, the melody of the birds that were singing....it was as if she was a part of Life itself. She could even hear the dragon shift his weight as he moved closer to her, his wings rustling softly as he angled them so they caught the most sunlight while not hindering the breeze that was playing with the stems of grass around her. 

"You needed this as much as I did," Draco chuckled as he looked down at her, seeing a smile play over her lips before she cracked an eye open to look up at him. "Feel better now?" 

"Yeah," she admitted, closing her eye again. "How'd you know what I was doing?" 

He smiled. "Do you think you're the only one that can connect with the land around you like you just did?" 

"If you had asked me that three days ago I would have said 'yes'," she replied, wincing as she lay her right hand on her stomach. "Granted a hell of a lot of things have changed since then." 

"Hmm..." His inner lids covered his eyes as he rose his gaze to the sun, feeling the wind play with his wings as they fell into another comfortable silence. It was one of those moments where everything felt utterly perfect....well it just needed one little thing. 

Rachel's eyes flew open at the soft rich melody that caught her attention and blinked as she looked over at Draco where he lay staring up at the sun, a slight smile on his face as he hummed, the resonating notes seemingly becoming part of the wind itself. She smiled and lay back again, closing her eyes as she listened to him, a grin replacing her smile when he switched to vocals. She didn't understand the language, but the emotion in the words themselves were more than adequate, and she found herself sinking into the rich tones of his voice as he sang. 

As the last note left him, Draco turned and looked down at Rachel, his voice a mere whisper as he stared at her. "Did you fall asleep?" 

"Hell no. I wouldn't have missed that for the world. That was beautiful." 

He smiled at the praise. "Thank you. Would....would you like to hear another?" 

She grinned. 


	7. Ruse gone awry

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
__ __

**Ruse gone awry**   
__

"Where could they _be? _He said they'd catch up, right? That's what he said, right?" 

"Yes, that's what he said," Bowen grumbled as he struck the flint stone against his sword again, smiling when the sparks managed to light the dried grass he had found. _Well, at least Draco will be able to see this from the air....if he ever gets back...._ He frowned and threw a few twigs onto the budding fire, being careful not to smother it. The dragon and that other girl had been gone for the entire day, and because of that, they still hadn't reached the next village. Add to that the fact that Erica was slowly driving him insane, and he was just about ready to snap. "Will you stop pacing?" 

"No! I'm worried!" 

"So am I. I'm worried about what your friend has done to Draco. For all we know, she led him into a trap with rival dragonslay--" 

Erica cut him off the fastest way she knew how : she introduced his broken nose to the sole of her boot. "Don't you _ever_ say that again! Rachel would _never_ do something so....so...._barbaric!_ What is _wrong _with you?! Gods, don't you care about _anything_ other than yourself?!" When she didn't get a response, she blinked and looked over at him, sighing when she saw that he was out cold on the ground. "Wonderful." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Well, at least I know that Elves can't see squat in the dark," Rachel groused as she walked deeper into the forest, carefully leading her horse between the trees. The only light that allowed her to have a bare idea of where she was stepping came from the moon, and she thanked any Gods that could be listening that it wasn't a cloudy night. 

Draco chuckled at her annoyed remark and glanced back at her from where he was leading the way. "We're almost there. It's just a little farther." 

"Famous last words." 

He grinned and resumed walking, taking care not to lash his tail in case he knocked her over. They had made good time, considering that they had spent nearly all day by that river simply lounging in the sun and enjoying each others company. It was only when he had seen the sun nearing the horizon that he had realized exactly how much time had passed and how far behind they now were. That had been three hours ago. "Rachel?" 

"Yo." 

He chuckled. "Thank you. For today. It's been a very long time since I've had the chance to truly relax and talk to someone who isn't trying to kill me." 

"Anytime," she smiled, ducking under a low branch and turning to hold said branch out of the way of her horse. A low rumble made her return her gaze to the dragon, and she sighed in relief when she saw a campfire up ahead. "I'd cheer, but right now I just want to curl up and sleep for a good twelve hours." 

"Come on then," he told her, lightly nudging her with his tail. "It's strangely quiet. Maybe they've already fallen asleep." 

Rachel followed him into camp and blinked at the sight that presented itself to them. "Or maybe one of them is unconscious." 

"Rach!" 

"Ack! 'Rica! Can't....breathe!" 

Erica released the teen from her hug and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Where have you _been?!_ You ditched me with the idjit for the entire day!" 

"Will you get off?!" Rachel swatted at her friend's hands and backed away from her, eyeing her warily. "Geez, 'Rica. Calm down. And what happened to him?" 

"He insulted you and I kicked him," Erica muttered, casting the knight a sidelong glance. "I think I broke his nose." 

"I did that yesterday." 

"I think I broke it again." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah. I got him really good, too. Um....you think you can Heal him?" 

Rachel shot her a glare. "No. I am not wasting my energy on him." 

Draco looked over at them from where he had moved to check on Bowen. "Rachel?" 

She sighed and went to tether her horse next to Erica's, ignoring everyone as she undid the saddle buckles and dropped it and the saddlebags on the ground. Only when she was done did she turn to look at Draco, meeting his disapproving gaze for a moment before sighing in defeat and throwing her hands into the air. "Fine! Alright! I'll heal the Grumbling Wonder. Just stop looking at me like that, dammit!" 

Erica snickered, eliciting a rather nasty look from the other teen as Rachel went to kneel next to Bowen, glaring at him for a moment before she drew a quick symbol in the air, then lay a hand over his badly bruised nose. When she pulled away seconds later, nothing but a slight redness remained of the obviously painful breaks. 

Draco looked from the knight to Rachel, frowning when he saw her grimace and raise a hand to her head. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm okay. Just give me a minute....or five...." 

"She uses her own energy to heal," Erica explained as she walked over to her friend and gently pulled her to her feet. "Something about not wanting to drain the energies of nature. I dunno, she never really explained it to me." 

"You never asked," Rachel muttered, clinging to Erica so as not to collapse. "Oh Gods.... Put me down, the landscape's movin'." 

Draco frowned and settled himself down for the night. "Bring her here." 

"It's not usually this bad," Erica frowned as she gently lowered Rachel to the ground next to the dragon's right shoulder. "She's only like this when she does two healings in one day....but she only healed Bowen." 

_Two healings? Then....then what I felt last night after the 'attack'...that was her. _"Actually, she Healed me last night. You were sleeping, but an....old complaint decided to act up. I didn't realize she had--" 

"I am still awake, you know. It's annoying when you talk as if I'm not here." 

"Trust me, it's impossible to ignore you," Erica smirked as she grinned down at the white-haired teen. 

The dragon looked at her, smiling warmly. "You should sleep. Bowen will likely be up with the sun." 

"That's because he's a damned sadist," Rachel yawned, dimly aware that Erica had gone to rummage through the saddlebags as she gingerly leaned back against Draco's shoulder. "You don't mind?" 

"Not at all," he murmured, knowing that she was referring to leaning against him. He watched as Erica gently tucked Rachel's cloak around her and smiled as he met the teen's sleepy gaze. "Stop fighting it." 

"She's stubborn as all hell," Erica smirked as Rachel finally let sleep claim her. "But hey, so am I. I guess that's why we're such good friends." She headed closer to the fire and sat down, pulling her cloak around herself. "Y'know, she may not ever admit to it, but coming here....to this place....it's what she's always dreamed of." 

Draco stared at her, listening raptly as she spoke. "Her wish?" 

"She told you about that?" Erica asked, plainly surprised. 

"A little. She's worried that she's trapped you here, that much I know." 

"She worries too much. Besides, even if I am, it's worth it," she smiled, looking over at her friend. "She's finally happy." She rose her gaze to the dragon and smiled again. "G'night." 

"Good night," he replied, more out of habit than anything else. As she lay down and pulled her cloak tighter around herself, he rose his gaze to the sky, effortlessly finding the stars he was looking for. _Elders....why did you send them to me?_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Bowen groaned as bright sunlight assaulted him and rose a hand to shield his eyes as he slowly sat up, gasping in shock at the distinct lack of pain in his face. Eyes wide, he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, blinking when he felt smooth unbroken skin. There was no swelling, no mind numbing pain... He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his sword, pulling it half out of it's scabbard and peering at his reflection, unable to understand how this had happened. 

He turned to ask Erica if she had given him any herbs, and balked at the sight of Draco for a moment before sighing in relief, glad that the dragon had found them. His attention switched from Erica to the beast as he moved forward to wake him and ask him how this was possible, but stopped short when he saw a white-haired form curled up against the dragon's chest. _How long was I unconscious?!_ "Draco!" 

The dragon stirred slightly and cracked an eye open to look at the knight. "Hmm?" _Is it morning already? Why does he look so flustered? Better yet, why is he looking at me like that?_

"What....When did.... How...." 

"Bowen, you're not finishing your sentences." 

"What are you doing?!" 

"Well, I _was_ trying to sleep," he grumbled as he rose his head and yawned, purposefully exposing all his fangs. "Now calm down and try that again." 

"Her! What are you doing with her?!" 

Draco glanced down and stared at the sleeping form of Rachel that was nestled against his chest for a moment before returning his gaze to the knight. "Bowen, you have a filthy mind." 

"_Me?!_" 

"Oh Gods....is it morning already?" Erica moaned, raising her head from where it was pillowed on her right arm and looked over at the two males, noting Bowen's irritated expression. "What crawled up your shorts and multiplied?" When the knight coloured and gestured to the dragon, she rose her head a little higher, spotting a head of white hair resting against the dragon's right foreleg. "So?" 

"So?! That's it?!" 

"Get yer mind out of the gutter you pervert," she growled, slowly sitting up and shaking grass off her cloak. "Men. They're all the same." 

While Bowen sputtered, Draco covered Rachel with his left claw and lowered his head to lightly nudge her shoulder, whispering softly so as not to startle her. "Rachel? It's morning." 

She shifted, pulling her cloak tighter around herself before raising a hand to rub at her eyes. "Wha?" 

"Good morning," he chuckled, meeting her sleepy dark blue gaze. "Sleep well?" 

"Yeah...." she ran her good hand through her hair and sat up slightly, blushing crimson when she saw where she was. "How-?" 

"I thought you'd be more comfortable. Bowen on the other hand...." he trailed off and looked over at the knight. "Is being....what did you call it, Erica?" 

"Perverted." 

"He's being....? Oh good Lords." Rachel dropped her face into her hands and groaned. "It's too early for this." 

"Strange how you keep saying that every morning." 

"That's because you people are expecting me to be sociable at ungodly hours of the morning," she retorted, mock-glaring at Erica as she straightened and raked her nails through her hair. The utter lack of sound from Bowen made her glance over at him curiously, and she blinked slowly when she saw how he was staring at her. "What? Actually, no. Don't answer that. I don't want to know." 

Erica snickered softly as she watched Rachel slowly get to her feet and stretch, then threw a small rock at her. "You didn't tell me you did a double yesterday." 

_Double? Oh, the healings._ She shrugged and pulled her clock tighter around herself, feeling Draco's warm breath wash over her back. "I didn't get a chance to. That and it's... er..." Not wanting to get too far into the conversation, she shot a glance at the knight, then relaxed when she saw Erica nod in understanding. 

"Right. Well don't do that again. You know it's dangerous." 

Rachel smirked and rolled her eyes. "Yes _mother._ Yeesh. Nag." 

"Bitch." 

"Well, at least you two have that part right," Bowen grumbled, ignoring the scathing glares from the two women but not the low growl from Draco. "Don't tell me you're on their side! They're insane!" 

Erica sighed and got to her feet, shaking dirt off her cloak before clasping it onto her shoulders again, a smirk spreading over her lips as she glanced over at Rachel. "He needs new lines. That's getting old." 

"Hmm. I noticed. Rather repetitive." 

"Boring actually." 

"Yup. But then again, we haven't known him all that long--" 

"Thank the Gods." 

"--and for all we know, this could be the best he's got." 

"How utterly sad." 

Draco chuckled softly at the expression on the knights face and slowly got to his feet, closing his eyes as he opened his wings to their full extension and arched his back, limbering himself up for the day ahead. "How far to the village Bowen?" 

"Not far," the human grumbled sourly as he sent dark glares at the two women, muttering under his breath when they snickered in response. "Should be there by high noon." 

The dragon nodded in thanks, then looked at the other two. "Care to join us?" 

Erica looked at Rachel, who shrugged, then glanced back at the dragon. "Eh, sure. Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do." 

"Why doesn't _that_ surprise me?" Bowen growled, turning away from them and going to saddle and ready his horse. 

Draco blinked at him for a moment, then leaned closer to Rachel and Erica. "This is going to be a long day." 

~*~ 

"Will you three hurry up?!" 

"Yes dear!" Erica called, grinning at the look the knight shot her. She, Rachel and Draco had been purposefully hanging back so they could talk to each other in private, and she was highly amused by the dragon's seemingly unending curiosity about their world. But she and Rachel had agreed that it would be very dangerous to tell him too much, since they didn't know where or _when_ they were, they didn't want to risk destroying whatever timeline they had landed in. 

"Y'know. One day, he's gonna try to hurt us," Rachel mused as she looked over at the knight that was riding ahead of them. 

"I wish him luck and painkillers then," Erica smirked. "Especially if he's stupid enough to take a swing at you." 

Draco smiled from where he was walking next to Rachel's horse and gently nudged her with his wing. "Indeed. But try not to kill him if he does. He's.... important." 

"Important? Important how?" 

_Er.... how do I explain this?_ He glanced away for a moment, troubled. He hadn't wanted to explain all this to them yet. And certainly not with the knight so close by.... 

"Oh. This has to do with that long explanation that you can't tell yet, right?" Rachel murmured, meeting his gaze when he looked at her apologetically and nodded. "Okay. I can wait." 

"First time for everything," Erica muttered playfully, knowing that if it had been anyone else, Rachel would have pestered them incesscently until they finally caved and told her what they were hiding. Expertly ducking a smack, she urged her horse into a trot. "I'm gonna go bug him. I wanna know what we're getting ourselves into." 

"Have fun," the white haired teen grinned, waving at her before sighing and looking at her right hand, frowning as she carefully tugged the improvised bandage back into place. A soft rumble drew her attention, and she blinked as she glanced over at the dragon. "What?" 

"That wound will become infected if you don't treat it properly." 

"It's not so much a wound as a bruise," she shrugged, gingerly flexing her hand and trying not to wince at the painful stiffness. Memories of worse injuries from fights with bullies distracted her for a moment before she shook her head slightly and stubbornly shoved those thoughts aside. "It'll heal." 

"Mmhm. Like the last time?" 

"Last time?" 

"Your cheek." He saw her raise her good hand rose to lightly touch the almost fully healed cut before she frowned and looked away, focusing on the land ahead. _Seems I hit another sore spot. How badly has she been treated that she feels that she has to always be on the defensive?_ "I didn't mean to upset you." 

She stayed silent for another moment before sighing. "You didn't. It's just... old ghosts." 

"They're usually the ones that cause the most pain," Draco murmured as he turned his gaze to the two riders ahead of them. "It's hard to face them, isn't it?" 

"Harder to live with them every single day," she countered softly, raising a hand to return Erica's wave when her friend gestured for them to hurry up. "We'd better catch up." 

"Rachel." 

Gently pulling back on the reins to stop her horse from following through on her order to break into a gallop, she turned in the saddle and looked back at him, meeting his quiet gaze. "Yeah?" 

"You told me yesterday that if I wanted to tell you of... of the truth behind what this is all about, that you'd listen." He paused and ducked his head down to be at eye-level with her, smiling at her reassuringly. "I'm more than willing to return the favour, if you need it." 

Surprised, she merely nodded for a moment, then recovered and reached out to rub the knuckles of her good hand over his right eye-ridge. "Thanks." 

"Yo! Rach! C'mon! I'm not getting any younger over here!" 

"Not getting any quieter either," the teen muttered under her breath as Draco pulled away and looked over at the waiting duo, and she couldn't stop a sigh from escaping her when she saw Bowen glaring at her in annoyance. "This, is going to be a long afternoon." 

~*~ 

"You want Erica to _what?!_" 

"I am _not_ going to play 'delicate waif' just so I can be kidnapped by Draco! I'm afraid of heights you moron! Do you _want_ me to die of fright?!" 

"Don't answer that." Rachel muttered, eyeing Bowen angrily. "Look, think of something else. Why can't you two just go and wage pretend war on that village like last time?" 

"It'll have more effect if they think he's killed one of you." 

"And they'll care about us, because? They've never seen us before, Bowen. Why would they give a damn whether we get killed or not?" 

"She has a point Bowen," Draco said from where he was lying a little to the right of the group, looking out over the plateau at the nearby village. 

"Well we can't just let them wander around. They'll get in the way." 

Erica grumbled and folded her arms over her chest, leaning closer to Rachel. "You're right. It _is_ annoying when people talk about you as if you're not there." 

"Told ya." 

"Bowen, look. There's a patch of forest directly under that cliff you want me to perch on. It'd be simple for them to ride ahead and hide in there while you and I do the routine." A taloned claw pointed to the thick spot of woods in question before Draco turned to look at them. "It's far enough away from the village that no one would be able to see them. And no one would ever think that two maidens would ever come near a dragon." 

Rachel quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Erica. "We've been upgraded to 'maidens' now." 

"I noticed. I'd prefer 'Your Majesty' but that'll have to do," her friend grinned. "And I'm for Draco's idea." 

"Then go," Bowen said, looking from them to the dragon. "We'll meet up when everything's over at the base of the waterfall. Draco? You know the drill." 

"Yes, yes."Draco chuckled and looked at the knight. "Go on Bowen, I won't miss my cue." 

"We'll see you at the cliffs, Draco," Erica grinned as she tugged on her mares reins, guiding her down the hill they were situated on, hearing Rachel follow her with less caution. Hence the fact that her friend had just bolted past her, the mare snorting as she barrelled down the hill and broke into a full gallop, cutting across the plain. "Hey! Rach! Wait up!" 

Draco smiled as he watched the three riders head for the village, his keen eyesight easily enabling him to keep track of them, even when the two girls broke away from Bowen and headed for the cliffs that were situated high up on the mountain face behind the village. Like before, he waited until he was certain that he had given Bowen enough time for the knight to make his presence known before getting to his feet and spreading his wings, glad for the opportunity to launch himself into the winds again. 

He circled the village once from above the clouds, peering through the white mists to make sure that everyone was in place before turning on a wingtip and diving down to a more normal altitude, soaring up behind a thick forest before chuckling and starting his 'attack'. 

It really didn't take much to frighten them. A roar, a close flyby and a flick of his tail that left a hole the size of his tailspade in a house roof. That alone sent people running for shelter. _They have no idea that a dragon would ever even think of harming them. Not unless severely provoked. The Once Ways grow dim these days._ Flaring his wings, he twisted in midair and landed heavily on the cliff, adding a touch to the facade by licking his lips and hungrily looking down at the people below. 

Keeping close attention on what Bowen was doing so he wouldn't miss his cue, he shifted his stance a little, talons digging deep into the stone and sending showers of dirt and pebbles cascading down to the ground below. _Erica and Rachel should be here by now, so where are they?_

The sound of clapping distracted him then, and he swung his head down to look at the two riders below him as they emerged from the woods. "Ah. There you are. Enjoying the show?" 

"You're our favourite actor now," Erica chuckled, hearing his own laughter echo her before he shifted again and looked back at the village, focusing on something that neither she or Rachel could hear. 

"There's my cue. Cover your ears, girls." 

"What is he--?" Rachel yelped when he threw his head back and roared, wings spreading wide as flames shot into the air, accenting the quite believable malevolent glare he sent down at the village. She yelped again when her horse screamed in terror, rearing once before a powerful buck sent her flying, leaving her to crash to the ground in an undignified heap as the mare spun and bolted. Groaning, she opened her eyes and stared up at a worried Erica, who had managed to keep perfect control of _her_ mare. "I hate that horse." 

"Are you okay?" 

"Nevermind me!" she cried, suddenly realising exactly how bad this situation was. "You've gotta go after it! The spellbook's in the saddlebags!" 

"Oh crap!" Identical panic registering on her face, Erica wheeled her mare around and urged it into a gallop, racing after the other mare that already had quite a headstart on them. 

Rachel, meanwhile, somehow managed to convince her body to work, therefore enabling her to haul herself to her feet and reach behind her to rub at the aching small of her back. "The Gods are laughing. I can feel it." 

Worried, Draco crouched on the ledge and frowned down at her. "I am so sorry. Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Damned horse needs to learn how to relax...." She trailed off and sighed before looking up at the dragon. "I'm okay, really. Did it work?" 

He glanced in the direction of the village. "They're still talking. I can't tell what about, though. Are you certain you're alright?" 

"I'm _fine._ Honest." A smile spread over her lips as she reached up to rake her nails through her hair. "More worried about the horse actually. I hope 'Rica manages to catch up with it. I do _not_ relish the idea of _walking_ back to the waterfall." 

A chuckle rumbled out of him at the tone of her voice, and he straightened as he angled his wings to bask in the sunlight. "I'm certain we can work something out. Besides--" He cut himself off with a start and frowned. "What in the worlds are those people doing?" 

"I wouldn't know, there's a forest in my line of vision," she retorted, eyeing the cliff face a bit before smirking and darting into the forest to her left. 

"They've just tied someone to a post and... Rachel? Rachel, where are you?" The sound of stones cracking and sliding down the side of the cliff made him glance behind himself, blinking at the female that pulled herself up to him. "You're incorrigible." 

"I'll take that as a compliment," she grinned as she got to her feet and brushed dirt off her pants, carefully picking her way across the loose shale as she neared him. "It's easier to get up here than I thought." 

"Be careful all the same." Smothering a worried rumble, he rose his gaze to the village again and sighed. "What are those people doing?" 

Curiosity overriding her sense of fear, she moved over to stand near the edge of the cliff and peered over at the cart that was being wheeled out of the village, the woman that was tied there struggling frantically. "I... have no clue." 

He glanced at her for a moment before shifting to place his right foreleg next to her, gently pushing her backwards, away from the ledge. The sound of hoofbeats caught his attention, and he looked down at the forest below as Bowen rode out into the open. "Who's the girl?" 

Highly irritated by a plan gone completely to hell, Bowen jerked the reins roughly, bringing his horse to a stop as he glared up at the dragon. "A nuisance! Get rid of her! And where's the other two?" 

"Rachel's next to me, Erica's gone to try to catch her runaway mare. Now why are the villagers doing that to her?" 

_Just once, I wish he wouldn't question everything._ "They're trying to placate you with a sacrifice." 

"Well whoever gave them _that_ bright idea?" Draco retorted wryly, hearing Rachel's smothered chuckle from beside him as he crouched to look at the knight closely for a moment before returning to his former pose. 

"Nevermind! Just get rid of her!" 

"How?" 

_Oh like I know?!_ "Eat her!" 

A grimace spread over his snout at the mere thought of having to eat a human. "Oh _please_. Yech." 

"Aren't we squeamish? You ate Sir Eglamore, hypocrite!" 

Catching the look that Rachel shot him, Draco quickly averted his gaze from her as his wings folded against his sides, mimicking the stance of a human with their hands on their hips. "I merely chewed in self-defence! But I never swallowed." 

"That is _so_ disgusting," she muttered, just loud enough for her to know that Draco had heard her. It was obvious by the embarrassed expression on his face. 

Now fully annoyed by this turn of events, Bowen sighed heavily and rose a hand to massage his suddenly aching temple. "Improvise!" 

"Alright! Alright." Sighing, he rose to his full height for a moment before looking down at Rachel. "You'll have to stand back a little. I don't want to risk knocking you off the..." He trailed off at the sight of Bowen already riding back to the village and growled under his breath. "Well. So much for getting Bowen to give you a ride back to the village. Alright. Climb up." 

"What?!" 

He chuckled and looked at her out of the corner of his right eye as he crouched low, raising his foreleg as a step for her. "Climb up. Quickly now. Don't worry. I won't drop you." 

Shaking, she hesitantly reached up to grasp his scales before setting her foot on his leg and vaulting up to perch on his back, feeling the row of spikes that adorned most of his spine press against the small of her back as he stood, the sudden movement making her throw her arms as far around his neck as she could. "Oh dear Gods I must be insane...." 

"You're doing fine," he told her, amused by her antics as she clung to him. "Hold tight! This is going to be a rather rough first flight." 

"What are you-- _ACK!_" The urge to scream was overridden by the sensation of the ground falling away, and she was certain that she had left her stomach back on the cliff as Draco gave a powerful downbeat with his wings, effortlessly soaring towards the 'sacrifice'. _I am not going to die. I am not going to die. I am not going to.... ACK!_ Her nails grated against his scales as he twisted in midair, grabbing the cart with all four sets of talons before grunting and rising back into the air, deft swipes of his left foreclaw freeing the now unconscious girl from the ropes that bound her as he dropped the useless cart, letting it crash to the ground below them. 

"Rachel? Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine!" She answered in a voice that was three octaves too high, her voice cracking in the process. "I'm okay, I... Oh gods, I shouldn't have looked down..." 

He found himself chuckling at her tone of voice, despite the realization that she was very much afraid. "I won't let you fall. Besides, I thought you weren't afraid of heights." 

"Normal heights, no. I've just never been three hundred feet above the ground before!" She swallowed thickly and hesitantly forced herself to sit a bit straighter, trying not to impede his flying. "How's the sacrifice?" 

"She fainted," he told her as he looked down at the girl he was holding in his claws, frowning at the mud and dirt that caked her skin. _Looks like whatever happened in that village wasn't in her favour._ The sight of the waterfall in the distance made him smile, and he did his best not to jostle his passenger any more than necessary as he slowed his speed and circled the falls once before deeming it safe. His wings cupped the air as he carefully landed, trying to avoid knocking Rachel off while still holding the other girl in his claws. Finally, his feet hit the ground, toe talons digging deep into the lose soil as he set the girl on a large boulder before dropping down onto all fours and glancing back at the teen on his back, chuckling softly. "You can let go now." 

Rachel startled and opened her eyes from where she had buried her face against the rough plates of scales, blinking at their surroundings for a moment before smiling sheepishly and lowering her aching arms from his neck. "Sorry."   
  



	8. New arrivals, shattered beliefs and prom...

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
__ __

**New arrivals, shattered beliefs and promises kept**   


"Shouldn't she be awake by now?" 

"You're asking me? How the hell do I know?" 

"Oh dear. I hope I didn't frighten her to death." 

"She'll be _fine_, Draco. There, see? She's waking up. Hey, you okay?" 

Kara frowned at the voices and clawed her way out of a grey fuzziness that hindered her thoughts before forcing her eyes open, peering through the brightness of the sun for a moment until she realised that she was staring at a white-haired girl, and the very large dragon that was towering over them. She screamed the rest of her way into consciousness, automatically lashing out to shove the girl away as she scrambled backwards, trying to get as far away from the dragon as possible. 

"Hey, hey calm down! He's not gonna hurt you!" Rachel gave up on trying to yell louder than her screaming and simply reached out to clamp a hand over the woman's mouth. "Would you shut up? You're giving me a headache. Whoa!" The last was due to the dagger that grazed her arm, and she instinctively reached out to grasp the woman's wrist, yelping as the woman's struggles sent them tumbling over the edge of the boulder to land in freezing cold water. 

Draco's eyes widened at Rachel's shriek of surprise and looked at her as she leapt up to crouch on another boulder, shivering violently. "Are you alright?" 

"That water's bloody cold! And you!" She growled and glared down at the woman that was staring at her from where she was still sitting in the water. "What the hell is your problem?! You're not supposed to pull a knife on people who are tryin' to help you! Ugh, and now I'm soaked to the skin...." 

Chuckling, the dragon turned from the teen to the woman, slowly extending a claw out to her. "Here. Let me help you. I won't hurt you." 

_Who... who are these people?_ she thought, looking from the girl to the dragon that was smiling at her kindly. _This is not how a dragon is supposed to act. Maybe it's a trap? But then that girl's alright..._ The chill of the water overriding her suspicions, she hesitantly reached out and grabbed an outstretched talon, letting the dragon scoop her into his claw to relocate her back onto the boulder. "T-thank you." 

"You're welcome. You certainly look better without all that mud on you," he smiled, glancing over at Rachel when she sneezed and peeled her soaked cloak off of herself, a look of sheer disgust on her face as she set the thick material out to dry before she started to wring water from her hair and shirt. "Well, on the bright side, you don't have an excuse not to wash that wound on your hand." 

"You are so not helping." 

Startled by the obvious friendship between the two, Kara looked from one to the other, finally settling her gaze on the dragon. "Y-you're not going to eat me?" 

Rachel groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I was better off putting up with the Grumbling Wonder." 

Rolling his eyes at Rachel's muffled comment, Draco shifted to lie in a more relaxed pose as he looked over at the woman. "I will not eat you. You have the word of a dragon on that. Are you alright? I really didn't mean to give you such a scare." 

"I'm alright... I think." 

"Oh good." Another sneeze made him look over at Rachel, and he sighed as he watched her dunk her now unbandaged hand into the cold waters. "You should find some herbs for that." 

"Yeah yeah." 

"Stubborn," Draco muttered, returning his gaze to the woman. "You'll have to forgive her. It's been an... eventful morning. What's your name, by the way?" 

"Kara." 

"Pleased to meet you. That's Rachel, and you may call me Draco. Er, are you sure I didn't give you too much of a scare? You're shivering." 

"Draco, the water is _ice cold_. I still can't understand how you can lounge in it like that. Makes me shudder just thinking about it," Rachel said as she stood and flicked water off her fingers. 

"I'm sorry," Kara murmured as the girl climbed back up onto the adjacent boulder. "About the cut on your arm." 

"This little scratch? Nah. No worries," Rachel grinned, taking a moment to wring the rest of the water out of her hair before shaking it out, the damp locks curling. "I've had worse. You should really get out of that bulky overcoat and just settle for that normal dress you have. You'll freeze to death otherwise." 

Nodding, Kara hesitantly rose her hands to tug at the knotted cord around her waist, pulling the thicker material off and setting it out to dry in the sun like Rachel had. A curious rumble caught her attention, and she turned to look at Draco, her heart skipping a beat at the scrutiny he was giving her. _Oh lord, does he know? Do I still have Einon's stench on me?_ "W-what?" 

"Your lips are blue. Rachel? Can I borrow your cloak?" When she nodded, he reached out and snatched the material in a claw, taking a deep breath before exhaling from his nostrils, being careful not to set it on fire as he heated it with his breath. "There. Here, Kara, wrap this around yourself." 

Surprised, she reached out to catch the cloak that was held out to her, eyes widening when she felt how hot the material was. Grateful for the chance to rid herself of the chill from the water, she quickly threw it over her shoulders, pulling it tight around her. "Thank you." 

"You're most certainly welcome!" 

~*~ 

_Where. IS. He?!_ Bowen fumed to himself as he spurred his horse deeper into the woods, heading for the waterfalls in the frantic hope of finding Draco there. It had been well over two hours since he had last seen the dragon. Two hours since his boasting to the villagers that the dragon would return had ended in taunting remarks from the villagers. Add to that the knowledge that not knowing where those two troublemaking women were was a very dangerous thing, and that there had been tracks of hunters not too far back, he was actually genuinely worried. 

The breeze that he was heading into changed pitch suddenly, making him rein his horse in, pulling it to a gentle stop as he listened, frowning when the strange singing made itself known. It floated, seeminly coming from no where and everywhere at one. The deep melody sometimes resonating to his very soul, sometimes fading to almost nothingness to the point that he had to strain to hear it. _That's coming from the falls!_

~*~ 

"You have a beautiful voice!" Kara smiled as Draco let the last note drift away, seeing Rachel grin out of the corner of her eye as the girl stretched out on her stomach and folded her arms in front of herself. 

"Well thank you!" he chuckled, sparing a wink at a chuckling Rachel. "We dragons love to sing when we're happy." 

"You're not like a dragon at all." 

_That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard,_ Rachel mused to herself, rolling her eyes. _How would she know? Does she spend most of her time getting kidnapped by dragons or something?_ _Yeesh._ She shifted again and sat lotus-style, resting her right elbow on her right knee and sinking her cheek into the palm of her hand, hearing Draco's amused rumble as he leaned closer to Kara. 

"Oh? And how many dragons do you know?" 

_My point exactly._

"Well... you're the first." 

"You should never listen to minstrel's fancies," Draco said as he pulled his head back, looking from an amused Rachel to Kara. "A dragon would never hurt a soul. Unless they tried to hurt him first." 

"Really?" Kara folded her arms over her chest and frowned. "Then why were you in my village." 

Draco's eyes widened as he looked from Kara to an equally panicked Rachel. "Oh! The village!" 

"Yes! The village! You remember the _village._" 

Rachel groaned as she twisted to look over at an arriving Bowen, raising a hand to massage her aching temple as Kara's eyes narrowed as she reached for her dagger. _This is going to be interesting._

"Leave him alone you bully! Run, Draco, fly! I'll hold him!" 

"Kara, trust me. You won't have to," Rachel chuckled as she slid down from her perch on the rock and smirked at Bowen. "Ah, the Grumbling Wonder returns. Happen to see Erica on your way here?" 

"No. And where have you been?" The last was directed to the rather embarrassed dragon. 

"I'm truly sorry Bowen. I've... uh... been distracted. Bowen, meet Kara." 

The knight frowned as he dismounted, turning to looked at the woman who had a dagger held up at his eye level and studying her for a moment before grunting and walking over to the water. "You should have eaten her." 

"And that is why I call him the Grumbling Wonder," Rachel told Kara, catching the woman's look of confusion as she slowly lowered the dagger. "Calm down. He's not going to do anything. He wouldn't dare. 'Sides, we both know that Draco could squish him like a bug if he wanted to." 

"Rachel, dear, you're not helping." Draco sighed and looked at the knight as he crouched by the pond's edge, frowning a little when the wind shifted, sending the mist of water from the falls directly onto him. "Oh, don't get angry Bowen." 

"Why not? I was worried to death!" 

"Worried? About me?" 

"Yes! About you! I had the lacquer all set up! The whole village was out there with me. I didn't know where you were. When you're coming back. If you're coming back. You just dis--" Bowen cut himself off as he spun to look at the dragon just to discover that he had vanished again. He shot a look at the two women, frowned when Rachel sent him a glare in return, then turned to look towards the sound of splashing in time to see Draco's tail vanish into the falls. 

"Becareful! He's coming!" 

"What?" Rachel frowned and turned towards the distant sound of riders, her own instincts screaming at her to arm herself, and arm herself _now._ Not wasting a moment, she dashed over to Bowen's horse and snatched the bow she saw there, grabbing a couple of arrows and notching one as she went back to stand near Kara. 

"You any good with that?" Bowen muttered to her as he watched six riders come into view, his mood growing darker at who he saw was leading them. _Einon._

"No worries." She turned at an indrawn breath and looked at Kara, her eyes widening at the look of fear in the woman's eyes. "Kara? What..." _I know that look. My foster mother had it in her eyes sometimes when that bastard 'father' of mine came home drunk and pissed from losing money at poker.... That means... Oh gods._ Shooting a glance at the riders, she turned to face the redhead fully, pitching her voice so that only the woman could hear her. "Kara, listen to me. Listen. He won't get you, alright? He won't." 

Startled by the barely veiled rage in the girls' voice, Kara met her gaze and took a wary step backwards. _She knows. How?_ "I can take care of myself." 

"I never said you couldn't," Rachel smirked, though there was no actual mirth in the expression. Frowning, she hooked the extra arrow she had into her belt and turned to renotch the first arrow, pulling the bow taut as she aimed for the leader of the group, the one who Kara had been staring at. "All I'm saying is that you have backup if you need it." She struggled to keep her temper under control, the bow trembling in her hands for a moment until she managed to push the anger aside, storing it deep inside her for future use. _No point in getting pissed right now. All it'll do is give away my magicks, and that's the last thing I want to do right now..._

"Well, well. It can't be! The King's old mentor." Einon smiled cruelly and leaned forward a little in his saddle, looking from the knight to the two women behind him. "And I see you've found the girl I lost! Though now I'm rather curious about her little friend." 

Growling, Rachel pulled back more on the arrow, the muscles in her arms protesting at having to hold the weapon in perfect stillness as she glared at the rider. "Wither and die you irritating little maggot!" 

Bowen chuckled a bit at Rachel's rather loud retort and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, seeing Kara raise the dagger in the King's direction threateningly. "As you can see Einon, I don't think they're yours to have." 

"Hmm. The times have not been kind to you Bowen. You should never have broken with me." 

"It was you who broke with me!" 

Rachel glanced over at Kara questioningly, then frowned when the only answer to her curiosity was a confused shrug. _These two have a history? Then... Bowen used to serve the kingdom. So what happened? Well.... if I had found out that I'd have to bow down to that little bastard, I'd leave too. _Still frowning, she turned her attention back to the king, Einon, and met his gaze, baring her fangs in a silent snarl as she did so. _Why'd Draco run from an idiot like him? I mean, even with the five riders that are with him, how can they pose a threat to him? Argh, I'm missing something vitally important here...._

Her internal musings were interrupted by the sight of Einon dismounting from his horse, and she automatically shifted her stance to aim the arrow right at him as he drew his sword. She didn't realise it for a few moments, but the King's attention wasn't on her, or Kara, at all. It was on Bowen. _This can't be good._

Kara exchanged glances with Rachel before turning her gaze back to the base of the waterfall, where Bowen and Einon were now standing almost waist deep in the chill waters. The air seemed charged, like just before a violent storm, and she knew, that whatever was about to happen, was going to bring about something that no one was truly ready for. 

"Rach! Girl, I found your...." Erica trailed off as she rode over to her friend, the runaway mare meekly following, and she blinked as she followed the other teen's gaze to the two fighters. "Um... what's going on?" 

Rachel waved at her to stay silent as the first attack was made, silently cheering Bowen on as she watched them. It was obvious that Bowen was the more skilled fighter, he moved with more grace and balance than Einon did. Einon just looked like he was trying to hack at the knight, but his moves were similar to Bowen's, only more ragged, more unpractised. _That's how! Teacher and student. _It was plain as day moments later when the knight slapped the flat of his sword against Einon's back, scowling angrily. 

"That's one lesson you never learned!" Bowen growled, hating the holier than thou look on Einon's face as he twisted to look at him over his left shoulder. "Only expose your back to a corpse!" 

"You _are_ a corpse!" The shot hit it's mark, and Bowen stepped back as the younger fighter spun to knock his sword aside. "You just don't know it!" Einon knew he'd hit a mark, and he sneered at the knight as he attacked, using speed and sheer furiousity to drive the older man back until he tripped on the steep shoreline and fell onto his back on the sands. "Lie down Bowen! You're the sorry scrap of dead worlds, and dead beliefs!" 

Moving silently, Erica slid from the saddle and moved to stand next to Rachel, feeling worry for Bowen well up in her when he attacked again, pushing himself off the sandbar and onto his feet, the look in his eyes making her glance away. _Einon's not fighting fairly. He's tearing at Bowen's very soul now..._

"They were your beliefs!" 

Einon chuckled coldly, the sun reflecting off his blade as he faced the knight, seeing the very real betrayal in his eyes. _I have him!_ "Never! Never mine!" 

"You said the words! You spoke them from your heart!" 

"I vomited them up because I couldn't stomach them! Because I knew it was what you wanted to hear!" Blades clashed again, and he stepped backwards, more than willing to let his words destroy the knight before he sunk his blade into him. 

"Lies! I _taught_ you!" 

"You taught me to fight, that's all. I took what I needed from you." 

_Oh dear Gods... Bowen's going to lose!_ The bow wavered in her hands again, and Rachel lowered it in shock as she watched Bowen throw himself at Einon, attacking more out of sheer desperation than anything else, the two fighter's now locked in a battle that would leave one of them broken. "'Rica! Here!" 

Kara frowned as she saw Rachel toss the bow and arrow at her friend, wondering what she was up to as she darted to the edge of the water, shooting a glance at the falls before lowering her gaze to the waters. Her bangs hid her eyes as her lips started moving, the words so soft that even had she understood the language, she wouldn't have been able to hear enough of it to comprehend what was happening. 

"Rachel!" Erica rose the bow as Einon saw his opening and lunged forward, the tip of his sword sinking into Bowen's right shoulder, sending the knight staggering backwards until his back hit the side of a boulder that was protruding from the waters, Einon's voice rising in a final mocking jab before he jerked his blade free. _That little bastard! Wasn't it bad enough that he beat Bowen, he's gotta rip apart his very beliefs too?_ A wind blew her hair into her face, and she gasped as she shoved it aside, looking at Rachel as the teen darted forward until she was standing next to Bowen, her hand covering the heavily bleeding wound. 

Rachel frowned as he tried to push her away and glanced from Einon as he walked away to the knight, meeting and holding his gaze. "Hold still, Bowen. Just hold still, you have to trust me." 

Shocked by the intensity of her gaze, he nodded dumbly, twisting to stare at his shoulder as a warmth spread through it, radiating from the wound across his chest and down his arm, obliterating the pain as it went. "What... what are--" His eyes widened as Einon suddenly spun around, a dagger catching the light as he rose his arm. Hissing in pain at having to move, Bowen rose his good arm and tried to shove Rachel aside, seeing her own eyes narrow as she turned and rose her right hand, palm facing the King as light seemed to dance at her fingertips, the water in front of them starting to surge upwards.... 

And their view of Einon was blocked out by a wall of scaled muscle as Draco landed between them, his roar echoing loudly as he snarled at Einon and rose, his wings angling to block any view of what he was fully doing as he glared down at the King. It didn't overly shock them at all when the younger fighter paled drastically and bolted for his horse, leading the full retreat of his riders. 

"Rach!" 

"I'm alright," the white-haired teen muttered to Erica as she helped Bowen to his feet, still holding her left hand against his wound, trying to at least wipe out most of the pain and dirt before infection set in. Something about how Draco had reacted tugged at her curiosity. _Why block out his movements like that? And what did I hear, it was faint, just below his growls...._

"I can stand on my own, girl," Bowen grumbled as he pushed Rachel away, reaching up to grasp at his shoulder. The sound of someone sloshing through the water drew his attention to Kara as she walked over to them, and he looked away from the sympathy in her eyes, scowling at the water before turning his gaze to Draco. "Why did you interfere? I had _everything _under control!" 

Erica rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. He looked real scared while he was kicking your ass." 

~*~ 

"Bowen! If you don't hold still and let me finish dressing that slash I'm gonna have Rachel knock you unconscious again!" 

Rachel sighed from where she was sitting under the shade of a tree and looked over at Erica as she glared at Bowen while firmly tying a makeshift bandage around his shoulder. Their little group had relocated back to the cliff due to being found at the waterfall, and while she didn't much care where she slept, the tension at camp was starting to ride very high. While Bowen was completely refusing to acknowledge the fact that she could Heal him - she had actually just outright told him she could - Kara had seemingly taken it upon herself to bring back the knight's shattered warrior spirit by trying to goad him into leading a rebellion against Einon. On top of that, she hadn't seen Draco in well over an hour, Erica was still pestering her for information on what had happened while she had been off chasing the runaway horse. And add to all that, she was still dealing with the fact that she had been fully ready to loose a full power spell right infront of witnesses that would more than likely kill her for being a witch afterwards. All in all, this was not going to be a good night. 

As Erica turned towards her, Rachel sighed and rose to her feet, not even pausing to grab her cloak as she turned and walked into the forest, away from the camp. _I think I need a little downtime...._

"Where's she going?" Bowen asked gruffly, frowning when both Erica and Kara shrugged before yelling after the teen. "Hey! Stay near the camp!" When all he got as an answer was a half-hearted wave, he growled out a curse and snatched at his cloak, pulling it over him as he lay down and steadfastedly ignored the two women that were looking at him. 

"Well, since he's not going to tell me what I want to know..." Erica turned and smiled at Kara. "You mind filling me in on what the heck happened back there?" 

~*~ 

_My horse for a bottle of Tylenol..._ Rachel brushed some low branches aside and ducked past them, carefully navigating her way around a thorn bush before sighing and leaning against a tree, closing her eyes as she rested her head back on it. This day had steadfastedly gone to hell, and while she was glad everyone was more or less alright, she was starting to wonder if her wish to be brought here had been a sign of sheer lunacy on her part. _Ever since Erica and I came here, things have been going downhill. What if being sent here did screw up the timeline? Or what if we're not supposed to be here at all?_

Another sigh left her as she pushed herself away from the tree and started walking again, not overly caring if she got lost or not. It wasn't until she stumbled upon a clearing filled with lush ferns that she stopped, looking around at the patches of waning sunlight that filtered through the trees before looking west, staring out through a break in the forest at the edge of the cliff, and the sunset on the horizon. 

Figuring that she shouldn't pass up a great view, she threw herself down amidst the ferns and shifted to sit lotus style, resting her elbow on her knee and sinking her cheek into her good palm. Her attention wavered from the colourful horizon as she glanced down at her wounded hand, frowning at the ugly bruising spreading from the back of her hand and down her fingers, gashes where the skin had split over her knuckles looking red and ragged. _This should be Healing faster than it is. Oh hells, I need a vacation from my wish...._ _And why exactly was it a bright idea to leave my cloak behind? _Shivering a little, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, morosely staring out at the sunset. 

She didn't know how long she stayed there, merely enjoying the luxury of being left alone in the middle of a forest to watch a sunset that was unmarred by planes or street lights. It wasn't until she found herself staring up at the stars that she realised how late it was, and how much Erica was going to yell at her when she got back to camp. 

Moving slowly because of muscles stiffened by the cold and the result of being thrown from her horse earlier that day, she carefully got to her feet and stretched, groaning softly as the motion sent a wave of pain down her back. _Evil horse..._

"You were right you know." 

Yelping, she spun and stared into the darkness, her heart thundering in her chest as the shadows moved, the light from the quarter moon shimmering off of copper and gold scales as Draco seemingly materialised from the forest itself. _Well, now that I've experienced a partial heart-attack...._ "Really? That's a first." 

He shook his head, dismissing her retort as he rose his gaze to peer through a break in the canopy above. "About the stars. About how they comfort, even when it's the darkest of times." Sighing, he looked at her again, noting her confusion. "The others are worried." 

She blinked at the change of topic, then shrugged. "Didn't think they'd notice too much if I took off. 'Sides, I needed to get away from them for a while. Between Bowen who's practically radiating depression, Erica's never-ending questions and Kara's constant nagging about building a rebellion, it was either take off for a bit or risk losing my temper at the whole lot of them." 

"Hmm." Seeing the break in the forest, he sighed and walked past her, feeling her gaze on him as he moved to the very edge of the cliff, rumbling tiredly as he lay down, stretching out on his belly as he rose his gaze to the stars again. "You would have given yourself away back at the falls." 

"The water spell?" She walked over to him as she spoke, then sat down on the dirt again, resuming her previous posture as she tucked her knees up under her chin. "Yeah, so what? Bowen's a huge pain in the neck, but I wouldn't want to see him dead. ...Draco, what's this about?" 

A low mournful growl left him, and he turned to look at her for a moment before sighing and returning his attention to the stars. "Twelve years ago, a woman that I trusted brought her son to me. He had been wounded in the same rebellion that his father had been killed in. She begged me to save her child's life... I wouldn't have helped any other but her, I don't think she realised that..." He caught himself and shook his head a little before lowering his gaze to the teen again. "The Dragon's Heaven isn't open to all dragons who die. The privilege must be earned, else our souls disappear, as if we never were. I had thought... no. I knew that reuniting man and dragon would gift me with that honour when I died. So I shared my Life-force... my _heart_ with that dying boy, despite the evil I sensed in him. He was the King's son, a dragonslayer's son..." 

_Oh lords. _"Einon." 

"Yes. I thought my heart could change him, but his nature polluted it, tainted it. And because of that... the stars will never be within my reach. I thought living in darkness was all I had left, especially when I learned that I was the last... but there is something in that knight. Something of the Once Ways. He is the key to ending Einon's tyranny." _And he must do what I'm afraid to. End it all._ Draco sighed and looked back at his stars again, only returning his attention to Rachel when she stood and walked over to him. He lowered his head to her and sighed when her fingers lightly brushed over his spiked carapace, then down to rub over his eyeridges, the caress making him close his eyes. In all his years, he had never met a human who was brave enough to come that close to him. "Thank you." 

"I didn't do anything," she whispered. 

"You kept your promise." He rumbled softly and opened his left eye to look at her. "You know, no human's ever dared to touch me like this before." 

"Yeah well, according to you I'm not human, so maybe I don't count," she smirked as she pulled away. "'Sides, you looked like you needed it." 

He smiled slightly. "I suppose I did. Though I'm still wondering what truly drove you this far away from camp." 

Rachel shrugged and took a few steps back before sitting down again. "I had some things to think about. Kara..." 

"I know." When she looked at him in surprise, he frowned a little and held back a growl. "I saw her reaction to Einon from behind the falls. And yours as well." 

"It's not what you think. I... I grew up in a bad place is all." Her gaze followed her fingers to the ring on her left hand, toying with it as she spoke, surprising herself with how much she trusted him. "My parents died when I was eight. And where I'm from, there's rules that let other people adopt orphans. Granted, sometimes the rules don't bother checking to see if whoever's adopting the kids is all that stable. The orphanages were crowded, I suppose they just gave me to whoever they could..." She paused and frowned at the memory. "I ended up in a real bad home. My fosters were dead beats. The guy was a gambler and an alcoholic, the woman was just a plain drug user and alcoholic that spent most of the time unconscious. I learned how to tell the signs that my supposed 'father' was on a rampage very quickly. But there was a night when he came home very drunk, and very angry, and he went after her. Her eyes the next morning were... it was like he had destroyed something inside her. Like something good inside her had been shattered. The next time he tried that with her, I beat him unconscious. I paid for it when he woke up, mind you... but... Kara's eyes were the same as hers... I thought I had left that behind." She gathered her courage and rose her head to look at him. "_That_ is why I would have woven the spell. No woman deserves what he did to her." 

Draco stayed silent for a long minute before speaking, and even then, it was barely a whisper. "I didn't understand before, when you told me that it's harder living with old ghosts than merely facing them. Living with those people...a constant reminder of what you'd lost..." 

"I hated them. I hated them so much, them and the bullies around town. There was never a day that went by that I wasn't beat up or insulted, because of how I look. After a while, I just stopped caring about everything. Them, myself... It was when I was thinking of killing myself that I found one of the old storybooks my mother used to own. The same stories she read to me every night." A humourless smirk spread over her lips as she glanced at him. "Three guesses what they were about." 

"Dragons." 

"Bingo. It had my mother's writing scrawled on the inside of the cover, 'Wind to thy wings, my little dreamer. Always remember to follow your heart, it will lead you to that which you seek'. So I turned my attention to Wicca, let Erica pull me out of my depressed funk, and generally turned into what I am today." 

He sighed and lightly nudged her in the shoulder with his snout. "She'd be proud of you, I think. I can't imagine otherwise." 

Smiling slightly, she shifted and leaned against the side of his neck. "Thanks. You held your promise too." 

"Mmhm. If I go back to the camp, will you come with me?" 

"Yeah." She pushed herself to her feet and took a moment to brush dirt off of her clothes before shivering and wrapping her arms around herself. "I need my cloak anyway, I'm freezing." 

Frowning, he lowered his head a little and nudged her in the ribs. "Here. Climb on." When she hesitated, he chuckled and extended his left wing to push his wingclaw against the small of her back. "We'll make faster time. And besides, these woods aren't a place for a lone human. Or Elf." 

She blinked at that, and glanced around them for a moment before accepting his offer and vaulting onto his back, warming her hands by pressing them against warm scales as he slowly got to his feet, taking a few experimental steps to make sure she wouldn't fall off before heading back to the camp at a more regular pace. "I'm betting you don't let just anyone do this." 

"No. It's a sign of complete trust. I've only let one other onto my back." 

"That woman you told me about." 

"Aislinn, yes. But even then, it was only once." He paused for a moment before chuckling. "And never flying. I thought you'd leave nailmarks in my scales at one point." 

She blushed. "Sorry. But doing aerobatics with a first time flyer is not a good idea. Just be glad it wasn't Erica, she would have been screaming the entire time. And she can screech like nothing you've ever heard. Damn girl's got lungs like a banshee." 

"I _heard_ that." 

"Ack! Er... I mean... hey there, 'Rica... How's it hangin'?" 

"I am so going to smack you when you get down," Erica grumbled as the dragon chuckled and stepped past her, moving to the other side of the fire before settling himself down. "Where have you been anyway? It's been, like, three hours!" 

Rachel shrugged and jumped down, yelping when she tripped and landed on her butt. "Ow.... dammit.... I needed some time alone, okay? Where're the others?" 

"Bowen's over there, he's been asleep since you left. Kara just konked out about fifteen minutes ago," Erica answered, gesturing to the two sleeping forms as Draco stretched out a little more and slumped onto his side, resting his head on his forelegs. "I hope you don't mind, I let her use your cloak." 

_Dammit._ "No," she growled, hugging herself and tucking her hands under her arms to keep them warm. "I'll just sleep _in_ the fire and then maybe I'll still be able to feel my toes in the morning." 

"Really?" Erica grinned. "That'll be a sight to see." 

A low irritated mutter left her as she sent a half-hearted snarl in Erica's direction, and she was about to curl up for the night when a low chuckle caught her attention, making her turn to look at an amused Draco. 

"Stubborn to the end," he rumbled as he rose his head a little and exhaled warm breath onto the shivering girl. "Well? Are you going to come closer or do you want to go through with that little plan of yours?" 

"I still say it would have been a sight to see," Erica teased as she watched her friend get to her feet and walk over to the dragon before lying down so that her back was against his chest, her head pillowed on his scales as she curled up in the crook of his left foreleg. "Hmpft. Pampered, aren't we?" 

Rachel rolled her eyes as Draco chuckled and lay his head on the ground, most of his neck resting against her legs as he settled himself down for the night. "Shaddup and go to sleep, 'Rica." 

There was a pause. Then. "Bitch." 

"Nag."   
  



	9. You never told us the forest was infeste...

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
__ __

**You never told us the forest was infested**   
  


"Rachel? Rachel! _Yo! Rachel!_" 

The yell dragged her from a peaceful sleep, and she growled under her breath as she rose her head and peered through the white curtain of her hair at Erica, who was standing above her, framed by bright sunlight. "Wha?" 

"It's morning!" Erica said cheerfully, beaming at her friend. She was dimly aware of the bleary look of annoyance from Draco as the dragon cracked an eye open to glare at her, but decided to conquer that little hurdle later on. 

Rachel groaned and tried to move closer to Draco, fully intending to just go back to sleep. "This is payback for last night, isn't it?" 

"You bet!" The other teen grinned as she bent down and grabbed her friend's arm with one hand, her hair with the other. "C'mon! Get up!" 

"Erica, if you don't let go of my hair, you are going to be in a very large, very densely populated world of hurt." 

"Oh, is _that_ all?" 

_I will not kill my best friend. I will not kill my best friend...._ Stifling the urge to scream, Rachel carefully pulled herself to her feet and hopped over Draco's foreleg before walking right up to Erica and glaring at her, baring her fangs in a silent snarl. "Happy now?" 

Blinking at the rather dangerous tone of the teen's voice, Erica nodded quickly then backed away, putting as much distance between herself and Rachel as she could without leaving the campsite. 

Muttering a curse under her breath, Rachel dropped to the ground where she stood and shifted to sit lotus-style, lowering her face into her hands with a drawn out groan before throwing herself backwards to lie on the dirt. _And I was hoping to sleep in today.... _A growling yawn caught her attention, and she tilted her head back a little more to look up at Draco while he stretched slightly, extending both wings as he arched his back, talons digging into the ground for a moment before he sighed and relaxed, turning his attention to the camp. "You look way too awake." 

He glanced down at her and chuckled. "One of us has to be. Erica? Have you seen Bowen?" 

"Yeah. He headed into the bushes about five minutes ago. Tripped over Kara in the process," the teen grimaced. "I woke up to the yelling." 

Rachel yawned and forced herself to sit up again before she fell asleep, reaching up to trail her nails through her hair until she had worked out all the tangles and starting to braid it. "Next time, let the rest of us sleep in." 

"But I _like_ to share," Erica teased, rolling her eyes when she saw what Rachel was doing. Sighing, she walked over to her and knelt behind her, swatting her hands aside. "You're doing it all crooked. Here, hold still." 

Draco smiled as he looked from the two girls to the knight that had just stumbled out of the bushes. "Good morning, Bowen." 

"Is it?" 

The terse reply make him blink and he sighed as he copied Rachel's current posture and propped his head up on his fisted right claw. "It's going to be one of those days." 

"You know," Rachel muttered, looking at Bowen as he moved to grab his sword, then cursed and clutched at his right shoulder, "I _could_ just Heal that." 

He shot a look of distrust at her, then scowled and forced himself to draw the blade, doing a few practice moves despite the ache in his shoulder. "It's fine." 

Erica rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. As if we believe _that_." She finished the last few twirls of the braid and reached into her pocket, grabbing her last hair elastic and deftly tied it around Rachel's hair before giving the braid a final tug. "All done." 

"Oh, thanks!" She rose her hands and trailed her fingers over the braid, grinning in relief as she tucked the shorter wisps of her hair behind her ears. "Okay, I'm as awake as I'm going to get. We heading to another village or what?" 

"Might as well," Bowen grumbled as he tied his belts around his waist, then resheathed his sword, his left hand moving to rub at his wounded shoulder afterwards. 

Draco sighed inaudibly and let his gaze fall on the knight. More than his shoulder had been wounded yesterday, that much was obvious, and he was only making things worse by pretending otherwise. Rustling of bushes drew his attention, and he mustered up a smile when he saw Kara pick her way around a boulder to rejoin them. "I was wondering where you had gone to. Sleep well?" 

"Yes. Considering." 

Rachel exchanged curious glances with Erica when they both caught the scathing glare Kara sent at Bowen before they both sighed and got to their feet. "Well if you lot aren't hungry, fine." She smirked and hopped over the nearly extinguished fire and snatched the bow and quiver that was lying on the ground next to Bowen's shield. "I'll bring it back." 

"You'd better," he growled. 

"You shouldn't look at people like that," Erica called back to the knight as she and Rach headed into the forest. "One day your face will stay that way." 

_There's a frightening thought,_ Draco mused, barely managing to hide his mirth. Granted, his good mood withered quickly once he picked up on Kara and Bowen's new conversation. _She still has her heart set on that rebellion. And of course, right now, Bowen is still smarting from Einon's confession. Why couldn't I have just ended it all before things escalated to this?_ He sighed and looked away from the two humans, wincing at Bowen's sharp remarks about how Kara would only succeed in getting herself hanged if she tried to rouse her village into rebelling. 

Finally, after listening to them for another few minutes, he rose to his feet and spread his wings, sparing a glance at them when they looked at him in surprise. "I'm off to find my own breakfast," he muttered to them before gratefully propelling himself into the air, glad for a little respite. 

"I think we offended him," Kara murmured, slightly chastised by the thought that she and Bowen had driven the dragon away. 

"Well if you'd stop nattering on about trying to raise a hopeless rebellion, perhaps people wouldn't mind being in your company!" 

"Well if you'd stop being so pig-headed _Sir_ Knight, maybe your company wouldn't be so torturous either!" 

~*~ 

"Think they're still at it?" Erica asked, looking over at Rachel curiously. 

"Probably. They'll probably _still_ be at it when we get back." 

"Ugh." 

"I know. They sound like an old married couple." The teen adjusted the quiver of arrows that was strapped to her back and ducked under a low branch, carefully following what seemed to be a deer trail. "Poor, Draco. We shouldn't have left him back there." 

"He's a big dragon, Rach, he can take care of himself." 

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, look! Raspberries." 

"Score! Outta the way nature-girl!" 

Rachel shot her friend a weird look as the other teen ran past her. "'Nature-girl'? Boy, are you treading on thin ice." Grinning at the sheepish look on Erica's face, she transferred the bow to her good hand and casually headed over to the berry laden bushes, reaching out to pluck a few off. "You do realise that this is not breakfast." 

"It's enough to keep me going until we find breakfast," Erica mumbled in between mouthfuls as she grabbed another handful of berries. 

"I think we've just found ours." 

They both spun around at the drawl and paled at the sight of the five riders as they slowly dismounted from their horses, rather disturbing grins on their faces as the males looked at them. 

"Um.... 'Rica?" 

"Yeah?" 

"_Run!_" Rachel grabbed her friend's wrist and bolted, pulling Erica along behind her as she crashed through the dense undergrowth, ignoring the sensation of branches and thorns cutting into her arms as she ran, very aware of the sound of pursuit behind them. "'Rica! Scream!" 

Baffled, she looked over at the white-haired teen and frowned. "What?" 

"Scream! Loudly!" 

"What'll that accomplish?!" The ducked around a tree and scrambled to keep up to the other teen, risking a wide-eyed glance behind her at the five men who were chasing them down on horseback. The only thing that was letting them keep their small lead was the face that they kept weaving around trees, making it impossible for their chasers to get the upper hand. 

"Maybe we're still close enough that Draco will hear you," Rachel panted, her breath burning in her throat as she pushed herself to keep up their hectic pace. She caught of glimpse of Erica's expression as realization dawned on her and gave her a quick 'thumbs up' before darting left, knowing that her friend would have a better chance of getting away if they split up. 

A quick look behind her showed her that three of the horsemen were on her trail, and Rachel stifled a cruse in order to conserve her breath as she put on a bit more speed, weaving and ducking around trees and dense undergrowth in an attempt to stay ahead of them. _Well, this is irritatingly familiar. Granted, I don't think these bastards just want to beat me up...._ _Oh hell, I hope Erica manages to--_ Her musings were interrupted by a shrill scream from a little ways behind her, and she grinned at the tone of sheer rage in the cry. _Well, no need to worry about that anymore._

Her thoughts were yanked back to the present as an arrow thunked into a tree next to her head, and she instinctively dropped to the ground and rolled, coming up again with her back against a maple tree as the three riders shot past her, their horses grunting as the humans yanked on the reins, forcing the poor animals to turn around in a space that was much too small for them. 

Not passing up the opportunity, she spun and ran for a stream she had spotted, just barely managing to jump over it before darting into the thick bushes on the other side. _Okay, okay, catch your breath before you pass out...._ She could barely hear anything above the pounding over her heart as she warily looked around her, trying to spot the riders. _Oh nuts, either I lost them or..._

"_There_ you are!" 

She shrieked as hands grabbed her, sinking her fangs into the fingers that tried to muffled her voice as she threw herself backwards, slamming the back of her head into the face of the one who was holding her. Still in motion, she rose her right arm and twisted violently, driving her elbow into someone's ribs before lashing out with both feet, knocking yet another man away. The arms around her went slack, and she frantically tore away from the others, scrambling out into the middle of the shallow stream so that she was in the open, enabling her to see exactly where the next attack would come from. _What am I doing?! Don't just stand there you moron! Run away!_

Wondering if all the fresh air had addled her mind, she spun and ran, staying on the stream's grassy bank as she tried to put a lot of distance between herself and the three perverts behind her. Hoof beats caught her attention too late, and she loosed another scream as an arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her off her feet. Panicking, she rose her left hand and slapped the palm right over the guy's face, yelling out a word of Power and yelped when he dropped her, letting her crash to the ground as he slumped over in the saddle, unconscious. _And a big 'yay' for sleep spells._

"Rach!" 

She turned at the call and gasped when she saw Erica run over to her. "What are you doing here? Where's Draco?" 

"I don't know! Those other two riders just gave up after a few minutes," her friend told her as she pulled her to her feet, her eyes widening when she saw why. They had regrouped. "Oh crap." 

Sides heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, Rachel shoved Erica behind her and glared at the five humans. One was still on horseback, the other four were on foot, slowly moving to surround them, grinning all the while. _This is bad. Very bad._

"Well, you two certainly gave us a run for it, didn't you?" The one on the horse chuckled. "We'll make sure to repay you for the hunt." 

"Erica! Go! _Run!_" Taking a moment to shove her startled friend into the woods, Rachel spun and bared her fangs at the four humans around her, narrowing her eyes as their repulsive playful expressions turned to something more serious, and more deadly. _Only gonna get one shot at this...._ Eyeing them warily, she shot a glance at the ground beneath their feet and frowned in concentration, murmuring a quick incantation under her breath as she backed up, keeping space between them and herself as they stepped towards her. 

It was obvious the moment the spell took effect. Tree roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the human's legs, trying to drag them back under with them as they howled and hacked at the limbs with swords and daggers. Smirking, she glanced at the one who was still on the horse, saluted in a not-very-ladylike manner, and ran. 

"Get back here you _bitch!_" 

_Oh yeah, as if I'm actually going to listen to you._ She rolled her eyes and sped up, hearing the horseman riding hard behind her as she tore down the shoreline, waiting until the last second before cutting off at a hard angle and scrambling into the forest again. But it seemed the last second was one second too long. 

Before she had a chance to fully regain her footing from the sharp turn, the human launched himself off his horse and tackled her to the ground, and she screamed again as he flipped her onto her back and slammed a fist into her jaw, snapping her head backwards. She retaliated in kind, lashing out to tear her nails across his face as she twisted and rammed her knee into his crotch, scrambling away when he wheezed and rolled to the side. 

Hearing the other four crashing through the forest towards them, she gasped and forced herself into a unsteady sprint, yelping when she only managed to get a few yard ahead before she tripped and dropped to the ground. _Get up! Get up you idiot, else you'll be just like your foster!!_ The thought sent a wave of fear through her, and she stubbornly pushed herself up onto her knees, reaching out to grasp the ragged bark on a tree to pull herself to her feet, facing the four humans that had caught up with her. _This, is not my day._

"Too bad, girl. We were gonna go easy on ya," one of them muttered as he reached for her. "Now though, we owe ya some pain." 

"In advance," another agreed, grinning in anticipation... 

...before a claw slammed the tree she was standing in front of aside, giving them a grand view of a wide open fang filled maw as an earth shattering roar sent them staggering backwards. 

"Rach!" Erica darted forward and ducked past Draco's left foreleg as she caught the teen that dropped to the ground, grabbing her shoulders worriedly as the dragon moved forward so that they were kneeling under his chest. "Rachel! You okay?" 

"What..." she paused and took a moment to get a decent breath of air. "What the hell took you so long?" Panicked screams drew her attention to her would-be attackers, and she smirked weakly as they turned tail and ran, barely avoiding the two fireballs that slammed into the ground at their heels. 

Draco growled softly as he stared after the still screaming humans, then rumbled and stepped back to look down at the two girls. "Are you two alright?" 

"We're fine," Erica told him, glancing at him for a moment before returning her gaze to Rachel. "I think." 

"M'okay. I've done enough running to last a lifetime and a half, but I'm okay," the white-haired teen sighed, reaching up to wipe the back of her good hand across her forehead before looking up at the watchful dragon. "Thanks." 

Sighing, he lay down as close to them as he dared and carefully lowered his head to meet their gazes. "You're welcome, so long as you never do something this foolish again. You're lucky I was still close enough to hear Erica's scream, else I wouldn't have been able to find you." 

Erica frowned a little at that thought, and glanced at Rachel. "You do realise that not only are you insane, but you look like hell. And you shoved me into a _thorn bush!_ A thorn bush! It hurt like bloody hell!" 

"You're welcome," Rachel smirked, shakily getting to her feet. "I gotta go back and find the bow, else the Grumbling Wonder will kill me." 

"The hell you are! There's still one of those wackos out there!" Erica growled as she stood and grabbed her friend's arm. 

"Is there?" Draco rose and gave himself a little shake before looking at them, frowning at the bruise that was just starting to form along Rachel's cheek. "Do you know where you lost the bow?" 

"Yeah." Rachel rose the arm that Erica wasn't attached to and pointed back the way she had come. "It's back upstream a bit, where they tried to grab me the first time. Oh, hey, 'Rica, since you're not letting go of me, grab me some of those leaves off that peppermint plant, would ya?" 

"What this? Why?" 

"Because I bit one of them and I've got this godawful taste in my mouth." 

"Ick." 

"You have _no_ idea." 

A low chuckle rumbled out of the dragon as he waited until Erica had handed her a fistful of the leaves before leading the way back upstream, trying to slow his pace so that they'd be able to keep up. Making sure to glance back at them from time to time to make sure they truly were alright, he shouldered his way between two trees and stepped into the stream, lowering his head to take a long drink of the cool water. 

"He _punched_ you?" 

"Yes, he punched me. And then I slammed my knee into his crotch and turned him soprano. Ow! Erica! That's a bruise! It hurts! Don't poke at it!" 

"Sorry, sorry!" 

Draco rose his head from the water and looked over at them, frowning at Rachel as she swatted Erica's hands away and put some space between herself and the other girl. "You told me you were alright." 

The worried rumble made her blink and look over at him, startled by the very real concern in his eyes. "It's just a bruise," she shrugged, dropping to one knee on the edge of the stream and thrusting her hands into the water, washing her hands and nails thoroughly before repeating the procedure on her bare arms, face and neck. "Besides, it's not like I didn't return the favour." 

"Hmm." He stepped over to her and gently reached out to nudge her in the ribs with the curve of a talon. "And the other wound?" 

She frowned at him and got to her feet, shooting a glance at Erica. "I'm fine." 

_So she hasn't told Erica about everything that went on with her - what did she call them? Ah yes - her foster family. _"Just making sure," he murmured, his tail cutting through the waters he was standing in as he started to pull his claw away from her, pausing when he felt an almost unperceivable shudder go through her. 

"Hey! I got it!" Erica called, drawing both their gazes as she held the finely polished bow above her head. "Can we get out of here now? I keep thinking someone's gonna leap out of the bushes at me." 

"Yeah," Rachel muttered, glancing behind her for a moment before stepping away from Draco and looking over at Erica again. "Yeah, c'mon. Let's go." 

~*~ 

"Thought you were going to hunt for breakfast," Bowen frowned as the two girls walked into camp empty handed, frowning when Rachel silently handed him the bow and quiver of arrows. 

"We were. But, y'know, getting attacked and running around half the forest kinda put a damper on that little plan," she muttered lowly as she turned and walked over to her horse, grabbing her cloak that Kara had placed there and firmly wrapping it around herself. 

"Attacked? Are you two alright? Was it Einon?" 

"No no. It wasn't Einon," Erica said quickly, looking at Kara reassuringly. "Just some morons who thought they could have a good time. Draco has excellent timing, by the way." 

"That I believe," the knight smirked, glancing at the dragon that stepped into the camp. "But we'd better get going just the same. If whoever you two met has any 'friends' in the area, you can bet they'll come for a bit of revenge." 

Rachel winced at that and rose her hands to tug off the elastic that held her braid together, raking her fingers through her hair until it came free of the braid. "Let's go then." 

Bowen glanced away from her as she pulled herself up into the saddle and looked at Draco. "I missed something, didn't I?" 

"Men," Kara grumbled, walking over to Erica as the teen beckoned to her. "Is she alright?" 

"Truthfully... I dunno," Erica frowned, looking after the teen that was guiding her horse away from camp for a moment before vaulting onto the horse, shifting until she was comfortably seated in the saddle. Sighing, she held an out to Kara. "C'mon, you can ride with me." 

"Oh no! We're not bringing her with us!" 

Draco frowned and shot a look at Bowen. "You'd knowingly leave her here, Bowen?" When the knight winced, he turned and looked at Kara. "Go with her. I'll follow you all from the air." 

Erica threw an arm up to shield her face from the kicked up whirlwind of dirt as Draco launched himself into the sky with powerful wingbeats, then looked at Kara. "Methinks a certain dragon's worried about a certain stubborn someone." 

"I noticed," Kara said as she took Erica's hand and let the girl guide her on how to get onto the horse, grasping the sides of the teen's belt once she was seated. "I've never ridden before." 

"There's nothing to it, really. Not when you're just a passenger. You just concentrate on not falling off." Erica let the reins rest lightly in her hands as she looked over at Bowen, feeling the mare dance a little in impatience. 

It wasn't long before he had finished securing his saddlebags and pulled himself into the saddle, and she took that as a cue to mean that he was ready to go, gently tugging on the reins to turn the mare around before heading after Rachel. "There are days where she worries me." 

"Your friend?" Kara asked, receiving a nod as a response. "Is she a warrior?" 

"Rach? No. She's just head-strong, and very independent. And stubborn." Erica paused and chuckled softly. "Though God help whoever tries to challenge her on anything." 

"I pity Draco then," Bowen said as he rode up next to them. "That dragon's taken quite an interest in her, you realise." 

Erica frowned at the tone of his voice and looked over at him. "You ever think that he's just lonely? He's been alone for a long time thanks to dragonslayers, and you're not always the best of company yourself there, Bowen. Rach treats him like an equal. I bet he doesn't get that a lot." 

"I treat him--" 

"Like a dragon." Erica finished for him, holding his gaze for a moment before gesturing in the direction Rachel had gone in. "She treats him like a person. An equal. And _that_ makes a world of difference." 

~*~ 

Rachel sighed as she let the wind play with her unbound hair, reaching up to brush some of it out of her face when the mare stepped out of the dwindling forest and onto the edge of a lush plain, taking a moment to look around before urging her onwards. A gust of wind from behind her blew her hair off her shoulders completely, and she frowned as she twisted to look behind her, feeling annoyance well up in her when she saw Draco standing nearby. _I don't need to be looked after like some six year old child!_

"Rachel, are you alright?" 

The genuine concern in his voice make her wince, and she looked away, guilty for feeling angry at him. The sensation of something brushing against her arm made her blink, and she couldn't stop a smile from spreading over her lips when she turned and saw Draco next to her, her skin still warm from him rubbing his cheek against her. "What are you doing?" 

"You looked like you needed it," he answered, smiling when she chuckled. "You didn't answer my question." 

"I'm fine." When he shot her a sideways look, she smirked and rolled her eyes. "Really. I'm okay." 

He nodded a little and let silence fall over them as they headed out into the field, waiting a few minutes before looking at her again. "I was worried." 

"I know. I just needed a bit of time alone to recover is all. This hasn't exactly been the most relaxing of mornings." She reached up to rub at her aching cheek as she spoke, hoping that it wouldn't bruise too badly. 

"You cannot heal yourself like you do others?" 

"I can.... but I tend not to. For one thing, it takes twice the energy and usually knocks me out afterwards. Damned if I know why, though." Slightly frustrated, she lowered her hand and glanced behind them, easily spotting the two riders behind them. "They're talking about us." 

"Oh? Still?" 

"'Still'?" 

"Mmhm. Kara seems to only speak of two things. You and I, and building a rebellion." 

Rachel frowned. "Damned woman needs a hobby." 

Chuckling, the dragon spread his wings a little, marvelling at the playful mood that had crept up on him as he lowered his head to her and winked. "Shall we give them a bit of a show?" 

"You mean..." Making sure to turn so that her hands were hidden from view from the others, she pointed upwards, grinning when he nodded. Glancing behind them again, she rose her hands and undid the clasp of her cloak, shucking out of it. "Erica's gonna freak." 

Draco grinned and waited until she had brought her horse to a stop before crouching low next to it, feeling her leap from the mare onto his back, her weight barely registering as he stood and spread his wings. "Hold tight!" 

"Oh dear lords! She's gone and lost her mind!" Erica yelped as she watched the dragon take to the air, staring at the form that was clinging to the back of his neck. 

Bowen sighed and rose a hand to rub at his aching shoulder. "I think she had help." 

"I thought you said that dragons didn't let anyone ride them," Kara frowned, looking over at Bowen. "Or was that some dragonslayers nonsense?" 

"Can we not start with the yelling?" Erica looked at both of them irritably. "Bad enough that the two of you woke me up this morning. Besides, I think we--ack!" The last was due to the dragon that swooped down and did a flyby of them, and she tightened her hold on the reins to keep the horse from bolting as she looked up at the duo above them. "You're insane!!" 

Rachel frowned a little and leaned closer to Draco as he did a barrel roll, his wings curling around himself. "What'd she say?" 

"Oh, she just said we were insane. Actually, I think she was speaking to you more than I." 

"Yeah well, took her long enough to figure that out." She grinned and held onto him a little tighter, hearing his laughter echo on the winds. "Let's go dive-bomb them again!" 


	10. Emotional support

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
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**Emotional support**   


"I think I may just strangle her," Erica growled to Rachel as the two rode side by side, a silent Draco keeping pace close by as they listened to Kara and Bowen's conversation. It had been two days since they had left the forest cliff, two long days in which Kara constantly criticized and tried to goad a favourable reaction from the knight, still set on building her rebellion. Quite frankly, it was making all of them edgy and depressed. Especially when Kara tried to shame them into helping her. 

"I'll help you," Rachel answered sourly, not even feeling remotely sorry when Bowen snapped at the woman who was walking beside him as he rode. The more Kara went on about the deplorable state of the villages, the more quiet and sullen Draco became, so much so that it was now rare if he spoke to any of them at length anymore. "I can understand where she's coming from and all, but if this doesn't end I may do something drastic. Like tie her to a tree and gag her." 

Erica smirked. "That's not that bad of an idea." 

"Don't tempt me, 'Rica. Do not tempt me." 

"Right. Sorry." 

The teen sighed and rubbed at her aching temple for a moment before casting a weary look ahead. "Bowen? It's nearly dark, ya think we could stop for the night?" 

He scowled back at her, though he knew his anger was misplaced. "Fine. There's a wood nearby, we can camp there." Needing a target for his anger, he turned it upon the one who had caused it in the first place. "Unless the lass objects to more of my company?" 

Kara snorted. "As long as you don't open your mouth, your company is almost bearable." 

Groaning in sheer exasperation, Rachel lowered her face into her hands. "It'll never end!" 

"We'll knock them out with a sleep spell. That way we can have a quiet night. Right, Draco?" Erica looked over at the sullen dragon and sighed when she didn't get an answer. He had retreated into his own thoughts it seemed. Not that she blamed him. Another sigh left her as she turned her gaze forward again, frowning when she saw that Bowen had ridden ahead, leaving Kara to walk the rest of the way with them, and she grumbled when the woman turned to look at them. _Nuts._

"Draco--" 

Rachel snarled, fangs bared, cutting Kara off and drawing her gaze. "Don't you think you've depressed us enough today? Can't you just give it a rest for _one night?_" 

Startled by the outburst, Kara looked from her to Draco as he silently spread his wings and took to the air, catching an updraft and soaring towards the forest they were heading for. "But why can't he see sense? Einon must die. It's the only way to free the people!" 

"Trying to guilt Bowen into it won't make him help you. Einon hurt him back at the falls, Kara. You're just tearing open an already ragged wound." Erica sighed heavily and moved forward in the saddle, holding an arm out to the woman. "Just give it a rest for one night. If for no other reason than to give Bowen and Rachel time to cool down before they lose what little control they have over their tempers." 

"'Rica, I'm going ahead," Rachel called, looking at her best friend as the teen helped Kara up onto the horse. "You'll be okay?" 

"Yeah. Go." 

Nodding in thanks, she leaned down a little and lightly nudged the horse in the sides with her heels, coaxing it into a full gallop as she raced after Bowen. The ride did nothing to help her mood, and by the time she caught up to the knight, she was very close to snapping at him as well. Instead, she gingerly dismounted and went to tether her horse next to his, looking over at him as he gathered some dry grass and leaves to start a fire. "You okay?" 

"Fine. Who's side are you on?" 

"The side that lets me get a decent night's rest without waking up to yelling," she muttered, reaching into her saddlebags to pull out her cloak and fastening it around her shoulders. "Did you see where Draco went?" 

"West. There's another field that way. But I don't know where he landed." Bowen crouched and pulled his flint from a pouch he had taken out of his saddlebags, drawing his sword afterwards. "You're going after him?" 

She smirked. "Naturally." 

He stared down at the pile of tinder in front of him for a moment before looking at her. "Where ever he is, it's where he has a view of the stars." 

Surprised, she merely nodded to him in thanks, turning to dart into the forest afterwards, following Bowen's directions. She felt badly for leaving Erica behind like this, but she knew that not only was her friend as fed up with the fighting as she was, Erica was more likely to get the other two to act civil without having to resort to a lot of screaming. _Unlike me. I'd just threaten them into silence with a spell or three. Ah well, better make good use of the rest of this light, else I'll have to stumble around in the dark._

~*~ 

Draco sighed as he lowered himself onto the ground, wings twitching slightly as he rose his head and stared at the stars. He knew Kara was right, but the ultimate price of freeing the realm from Einon once and for all was one that he just wasn't willing to pay. Not yet. Not now. A rebellion all on it's own would be enough to at least delay the inevitable, though he knew that Einon's evil would always return, no matter how many victorious rebellions there were, and that in the end, it would still require the same price from him. 

And things weren't simple now, not at all. His hopes now rested on the shoulders of the same knight who had sworn to kill him, and Kara, who was linked to Einon just as he and Bowen were, also had a part to play. Though at the moment, even he was tired of listening to her pleas. And then there were the two girls. Never would he have thought he'd find people such as them in this world. That two people that fully trusted and accepted both dragons and the ancient arts was amazing on it's own, and he still was stunned by the past day's events, where they had so vehemently kept Kara from turning her attention to him, trying to ease a burden that only Rachel understood. And now he found himself bound to the Elf in a way that he didn't understand. They were friends, yes, but there was something else. Something of the Once Ways that still burned strong within her. Something that drew them together.... 

He rumbled softly as a star shot across the dragon constellation and closed his eyes for a moment before a light touch on his shoulder made him turn his head, his eyes opening again to stare in surprise. "You followed me." It wasn't a question. He had known that she was worried about him, in all truth, he felt rather flattered by her concern, but he hadn't fully believed that she would have gone as far as this. "How did you find me?" 

"A lot of intuition and even more running," she murmured as she lowered her hand from his shoulder and reached out to rub her knuckles against his left eyeridge, seeing some of the tension drain from him as he closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. "I hope you know how to get back to the camp, because I don't have the slightest clue where we are." 

"It's a few minutes flight. An hour's walk for you," he told her as he let her calm him, surprised at how much of an effect she had on him. Silence fell over them again, neither of them needing to speak. They both knew why the other was there, and Draco took a moment to glance at the stars again before shifting so that she could easily reach him, sighing when she rubbed at the delicate scales just below his left eye. 

Rachel smiled slightly when he leaned towards her, his eyes closing again as he did so. Tired from running, she dropped to her knees and chuckled when he followed her movements, shifting so that her hand never left his scales. She knew there was something he hadn't told her about his link to Einon, she knew that after the past few days, the last thing he needed was someone else firing off indelicate questions. "You need a vacation." 

He cracked an eye open to look at her curiously. "A what?" 

"A vacation. An extended period of time where people leave you the hell alone so you can go somewhere nice and actually relax." 

"I'm afraid times like that are few and far between." 

"Yeah well, I'm bettin' that if you set someone on fire they'd leave you alone for a bit." 

"Rachel!" 

"What?" 

"You can't be serious!" 

"Well, you don't have to kill them. Just... y'know... _singe_ them a little." 

"That's hardly appropriate." 

"It'd work though. And it's deeply satisfying on a petty level." 

He chuckled a little at her adamant tone and nudged his cheek against her hand. "Thank you." 

"I did nothing." 

"Yes, you did. More than you know." 

She frowned when he closed his eye again and gently tapped a nail against one of the thick blunt horns on his carapace. "You going to explain that?" 

"Would you mind if I didn't?" he murmured, resting his head on his claws with a sigh. "At least not at this moment?" He felt her lean against the side of his neck and moved a little so that she'd be comfortable, rumbling softly when she stroked his cheek. 

"You should get some sleep," she told him, keeping her voice to a whisper. "It'll do you good. Besides, you'll get a better rest here than if we go back to camp." 

That made him open his eyes, staring at her in the darkness. "You'd stay? You wouldn't mind?" 

"I wouldn't have said it if I minded, Draco." 

Another chuckle left him at that. "Yes, you would." 

"Okay, fine. True. But I really don't mind." 

"I know." Moving carefully, he shifted his bulk and curled himself into a loose ball, his folded left wing shielding his side and chest as he gently nudged her backwards, so that she was resting against him, partially hidden from anyone else's view by his wing. "We could both use the rest, hmm?" 

She smiled and leaned against him, pulling her cloak tight around herself to keep warm as he rested his head close to her. "Yeah. Definitely." 

"Then good night, little dreamer." 

~*~ 

"Okay, now you have to admit, this is adorable," Erica grinned as she, Kara and Bowen stumbled upon the sleeping dragon later the next morning, chuckling at the sight of Rachel snuggled up against his side, his wing firmly wrapped around her. Still grinning, she slid off her horse and walked over to them, crouching down to reach past Draco's tail to ruffle the head of white hair that was just barely visible amidst the scales. "Hey. Hey, Rach, wake up." 

"Becareful, if you touch him while he's sleeping, he'll react instinctively," Bowen warned her when a deep rumble left the large form. 

"He's not a savage," Kara chastised him. "Besides, he doesn't seem to mind Rachel." 

The knight shook his head slightly. "She's the reason he'll react. Look at the way he's curled around her, he's protecting her." 

"Oh, calm down," Erica muttered, shaking Rachel's shoulder lightly. "Rach, c'mon. Wake up already." 

A low sleepy groan left the teen as she slowly rose a hand to rub at her eyes, then blinked past Draco's wing at Erica. "Wha? What're ya doin' here?" 

"Waking you. It's, like, the middle of the morning." 

"Erica, step back," Bowen called, catching her look of askance as she did so and then pointing to the dragon's tail as it thumped the ground irritably, the razor sharp scales just barely extended. 

Rachel yawned softly and reached out to shake Draco's foreleg, or at least try to. In the end she ended up giving him a solid thump on the shoulder, knowing that there was next to nothing that she could physically do that could hurt him. "Draco, they found us." 

Blinking, Kara stared into the heavy-lidded gaze that fixed on her as the dragon rumbled lowly and momentarily thought of what Bowen had said before Draco sighed and rose his head, yawning widely. 

"Morning already? Oh, I was hoping for a longer sleep than that." He idly scratched at a spot on his chest, then looked at the trio again, frowning at the looks of amusement that Erica and Kara were giving him for a moment before glancing at Bowen. "Did I miss something important?" 

"If you did, then so did I, but I don't care, because it's too early," Rachel muttered as she pushed herself to her feet and raked her fingers through her hair. 

"She's so coherent first thing in the morning," Erica chuckled, earning a scathing glare from the one in question. "Sleep well?" 

Rachel froze in mid-stretch and shot a look at Erica, frowning at the tone of her voice for a moment before rolling her eyes and finishing her stretch. "Yes, if you must know. But if you're planning on being perverted, I'll have you know that I _am _awake enough to start lobbing spells at you." 

"Er... right. Well, we should get going!" 

Kara grinned as the other teen went back to her horse, then looked back at Rachel. "So, you're a sorceress?" 

"Oh, here it comes. Just watch, she's going to try to convince you to start a rebellion with her." Bowen rolled his eyes as he urged his horse to turn to the right. "Good luck getting rid of her now, girl." 

Rachel sighed and rose a hand to her forehead in an exasperated smack. "It never ends...." A chuckle drew her gaze to the dragon behind her as he stood, wings extending to their full span for a moment before he folded them against his back again. 

"Kara, you cannot force a rebellion. Bowen must make his own decisions, you cannot shame him into them. And trying with Rachel is a lost cause--" 

"Hey!" 

Draco chuckled at the outburst and finished his sentence as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Because she is not one to start a war." 

Muttering under her breath, Rachel hauled herself onto her mare and grabbed the reins. "Point. I'll defend myself and my friends, but I wouldn't be able to kill someone. Not unless it was a last resort. Besides, it wouldn't mean the same if I started a rebellion, it has to be someone from _this_ realm. And trust me, pestering people into starting a fight is so not a good idea. It smacks of lack of self-preservation." 

"This coming from the girl who used to beat the tar out of the bullies at school," Erica grinned. 

"I only did that _once!_" Rachel protested, rounding on her friend and glaring at her. "And only because _you_ pissed them off by teasing them! _That's_ why they came after us!" 

"And your point is?" 

"....shaddup and ride already, would you? And take Kara with you. I've only been riding for however long we've been here, so it'd be a bad idea if she doubled with me." 

"Yeah yeah. C'mon, rebel-girl. Let's go annoy Bowen a bit more. It's really fun. Sometimes, if you go at him long enough, there's this vein in his forehead that starts throbbing, it's actually kinda neat." 

"You know," Rachel mused, glancing over at a shocked Draco as Erica helped Kara up behind her before riding after Bowen. "There are days where she really frightens me."   
  



	11. Swamps and psycho villagers and Avalon, ...

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
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**Swamps and psycho villagers and Avalon, oh my!**   


"A swamp? You're kidding, right?" 

"No." 

Erica exchanged glances with Rachel as they walked their horses across the bridge, then turned her gaze back to Bowen who was walking ahead of them. "Why? Isn't there something better?" 

"No." 

"Gee, he's so talkative today," Rachel commented, sighing as she tucked her hair behind her right ear, trying to keep the breeze from blowing it into her face. As of yesterday, Kara had changed tactics. Instead of criticizing Draco and Bowen's little scheme, now she aimed her attention on goading the knight to remember what he once was. She personally thought that is was a bad idea, after all, she doubted that Bowen wanted to be reminded of when he was a true knight, those times had been with Einon, the one who had betrayed him. 

A gust of wind and strong wingbeats made her look up, grinning as Draco swooped low over them long enough to report that the village was just past the bridge before rising higher again. _Lucky him. He can get high enough that he can't hear any of this. _Sighing, she turned her attention ahead again, hearing Erica echo her sigh as they listened. 

"I once knew a knight," Kara said, casting a look at Bowen. "He stood all alone against an evil king and even saved a rebel leader from blinding. He must have had many scars." 

"That knight died of his wounds long ago," Bowen muttered in return, his tone sour. He knew that she was once again trying to shame him into helping her. It wouldn't work. 

"Pity. Men like him are sadly missed in this world." 

"That's the way the wretched world is, girl," he snapped, growing tired of her incesscent probing. 

But Kara was not one to give up lightly. Instead, she took a softer tack. "It doesn't have to be. Men like you... could lead others. You could give them courage and hope." 

"Hope?" he frowned, stilling his horse as he turned to look at her fully, trying to make her see sense. "Even if you could raise your army, do you think they'd stand a chance against seasoned troops? The last time they tried it was a massacre; I remember. I was there!" 

"So was I." Kara replied softly. "That rebel was my father." When Bowen didn't say anything, she pressed on. "Let others stand with you and you'll see, this time the end will be different." She frowned when he simply continued to stare at her and felt a wave of embarrassment flood through her, making her look away. "What are you looking at?" 

"Myself," he murmured fondly. "once upon a time." But he refused to budge. Refused to agree to anything that would start another slaughter. Stifling a sigh, the turned and started walking again, looking up when wingbeats caught his attention. "I'll see you in the village, Draco!" 

"That's easy for _you_ to say!" The dragon protested as he soared over and past them. "This time _I'll_ collect the money, and _you_ can die!" 

"I'd like to see that actually," Rachel muttered, sending a glare at the knight's back as she walked over to Kara, who Bowen had left behind. Frowning, she gently rested her free hand on the woman's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Kara? Are you alright?" 

"No! Why can't I make him see sense?! He knows what Einon is doing to the people, why doesn't he care?!" 

Erica sighed. "I don't think it's that he doesn't care. I think it's that... he's lost his reason to. He's a knight who's lost his faith in what he believes in, he's lost his way. It may take more than you to get him back onto his path," she said, looking at Kara apologetically. "He's a broken soul, Kara. There's nothing any of us can do to fix that. He's the one who has to pick up the shattered pieces... but only if he wants to." 

"And while he does, the people suffer," Kara answered, frowning at the two teens. "You can't just expect me to ignore that!" 

"And you call me stubborn," Rachel grumbled, looking from Kara who had spun around and started stalking towards the village to a blinking Erica. 

"Yeah, well...." Her friend shrugged as they headed after the woman, not wanting to be left behind. "Maybe you're contagious." 

"Gee, thanks ever so much." 

"You're welcome. Ugh, what's that smell?" 

Rachel grimaced. "That, 'Rica, would be the swamp." 

"Oh good lords." 

"You think it smells bad now? Just wait until Draco sets it on fire." 

"You just had to remind me of that, didn't you?!" 

"Sorry." 

"The hell you are. And stop laughing!" 

~*~ 

Bowen fought to hide a grimace of disgust as he watched the village Chief count out a meagre twenty coins into a pouch made from the skin of a pig's head. When his was over, he was planning on having a long talk with Draco about the dragon's choice of villages to 'visit'. Granted, that conversation would wait until _after_ he submerged himself in the nearest lake and scrubbed both himself and his clothes free of the stench of the place. 

Footsteps behind him made him glance back at Rachel and Erica, smirking when he saw that they were having a harder time being here than he was. The sight of Erica edging away from a filthy villager and hiding behind Rachel made him chuckle slightly, his spirits lifting a little as he turned back to the Chief in time to catch the end of what he had been saying. 

"We can lose no more pigs to this dragon." 

_Ugh. I hope Draco didn't eat anything from this village._ Rachel mused, knowing that the dragon had said something along those lines while they had been trekking here. Though she didn't think he had been hungry enough to eat anything that smelled so bad. Wrinkling her nose as the wind shifted, she reached back and adjusted the strap of her backpack, having taken her possessions out of the saddlebags for the sole reason that she hadn't trusted the way some of the first villagers they had met had looked at their horses. 

"Wait!" 

Bowen jerked at the yell and spun to stare at the one person that he did _not_ want anywhere near him at the time. Kara. _Oh no._

"This man is a fraud!" 

Erica's eyes widened as the villagers rose various weapons, though most looked more like hellish carving tools than weapons. _Oh gods, she's gonna get us killed._

Frantic to keep them all alive, Bowen snorted and pointed at the approaching Kara as he addressed the Chief. "That girl is a wandering idiot!" _That will not go away!_

"This man... is no dragonslayer!" 

Rachel hissed and glared at Kara. _Shut up! Shut up!_

"You are mistaken my child! He is the greatest dragonslayer there is!" 

"Now what?" Annoyed, Erica turned and glared in the direction of the new voice, blinking at the sight of a monk. "Holy... Rach! It's that monk from the falls!" 

"Eh?" Sure enough, there he was, navigating his way through a small group of pigs to make his way over to a grinning Bowen. 

"Brother Gilbert!" The knight moved to greet his friend, glad for a new face that wasn't going to try to guilt him into anything. At the moment, he just wanted to make sure the Chief wasn't going to gut him. And sure enough, at the sight of the monk greeting him, the Chief lowered his wicked blade, watching them warily. 

"Bowen! Praise the saints, you're alive!" Gilbert smiled at his friend, then turned to look at the Chief. "You couldn't put your trust in a better man! I have personally seen him slay, almost two dragons." 

"Almost?" Erica blurted, wincing when she realised what she had done. 

"Well, I wasn't there for the death blow of the second," Gilbert amended a little sheepishly. "But as Bowen is here, he must have won." 

"No!" Kara shoved pigs aside to try to reach them. "Don't you see? He's in league with the dragon!" 

_Well, there we go. She finally said it. Sorry Kara, but I don't feel like dying here._ Rachel turned and glanced at the Chief, raising a hand to make a 'she's insane' gesture and rolling her eyes. 

Kara, meanwhile, glared, folded her arms over her chest and fumed as the Chief, her companions and most of the village burst out into loud howls of derisive laughter. 

~*~ 

Rachel stood on the edge of a rickety dock and stared down into the murky waters below, grimacing as she rose her gaze to look at Bowen and the makeshift ballista he had set up. "How much longer?" 

"Not long," he told her, feeling Gilbert, Kara and Erica's presence at his back as he rechecked the ropes, making sure everything was ready. "I know you're fond of him, but don't worry. We've done this before. And here he comes!" 

Erica's eyes widened as Draco soared over the forest, banking towards them and heading head on into Bowen's line of fire. _Oh dear gods..._ With a cry, Bowen sliced through the ropes, sending the cruel arrow-headed javelin shooting towards the dragon. Almost faster than she could follow, Draco snatched the harpoon from the air and tucked it under his left arm, loosing a fake cry of pain as he tumbled from the skies.... 

....and slammed headfirst into the shallow swamp. 

"How many times have you two done this, exactly?" Rachel asked as Draco groaned and flopped onto his back, dazedly coughing out swamp water before he froze and struck a death pose, the water just managing to lap at his shoulders. 

Shooting her an annoyed look, Bowen turned and glared at the dragon. "Well, sink! Sink!" 

"I _can't!_" Draco muttered out of the corner of his mouth, shooting Bowen an irritated glare. "It doesn't get any deeper!" 

"What a brute!" Gilbert cried, admiring the 'kill'. "That's even bigger than the last one!" 

"Actually he's about the same size," Bowen answered distractedly, eyeing the dragon as he bit his lower lip, trying to figure out how they were going to get out of this. 

Erica winced in sympathy and joined Rachel in standing at the edge of the dock, worriedly looking out at Draco. "This can't be good." 

Rachel growled. "No, really, y'think!?" She gazed out at Draco and met his disgruntled gaze for a moment, chewing on the inside of her cheek. A loud chant of 'meat' caught her attention, and her heart bottomed out when she glanced behind her in time to see the villagers swarmed over the deck and pass her, heading for the 'corpse'. "Oh shit! Draco! _Run!_" 

The scream drew the dragon's attention back to the docks, and he frowned as he rose his head and twisted to look at the oncoming horde of people, all of them sporting various meat carving tools. "Oh dear." Fighting the muck that clung to him, he growled and rolled to his feet, struggling to find purchase in the mud and moss filled water, roaring when he slipped and crashed back into the muck. 

"Rach!" Erica reached out and grabbed her friend's hand, sending her a smug grin and seeing her smirk in return. As one, they both rose their free hands, palms up, as if lifting something heavy. A nearly imprecieveable rumble filled the air, and they couldn't help loosing a cry of elation when their spell worked, raising a sturdy sandbar from the middle of the swamp to enable Draco to get enough stability to leap into the safety of the air. "Yes! Ha! In your face!" 

Kara smiled at their antics, glad that Draco had managed to escape the fate that the villagers had planned for him. It wasn't until she saw the Chief and his followers turn to glare at them that she realised exactly how much trouble they were now in. She thought Bowen said it best. 

"Uh oh." The knight glanced at the others around him as the Chief started a new, more murderous chant of 'meat' and swallowed thickly. 

"What... what's going on?" Gilbert asked. 

"Run. That's what's going on. " Kara told him, picking up her skirts and bolting, hoping to reach the outskirts of the village before the locals caught up. 

Bowen turned to follow the two teens that had already gone after Kara and looked at the monk that had yet to move. "Run." 

"W-what?" 

"How the hell do we get out of here?!" Erica yelled to Rachel as her friend shoved a villager aside, keeping him from grabbing her hair to stop her. 

"Oh, like I know? Ack! Hey! Watch where you're swinging that!" She spun and did a perfect roundhouse kick, sending another villager staggering backwards, his movements tripping the others behind him and giving her and Erica time to put some distance between them. 

Very aware of the angry yells around him, Bowen vaulted onto his horse and gave it a stern nudge in the sides with his heels, leaning low in the saddle as the stallion broke into a run, heading for Kara. "Kara!" Seeing him, she reached out to him, and he quickly grabbed her outstretched arm and hauled her up behind him, knowing that his still healing shoulder hadn't the strength to fully lift her, leaving her forced to sit with her back to him. 

"Peace brothers, peace!" 

Rachel rolled her eyes as she and Erica ran past the monk. "That's not gonna work!" 

Curious, he looked towards the villagers, and yelped when they only raised their weapons. "Heathens!" 

"Brother Gilbert!" This time, he managed to boost the new passenger high enough, and Bowen felt his horse strain a little under the extra weight as he wheeled it around, looking for an escape from the village only to discover that they were surrounded. Rachel and Erica were standing next to them, their backs to one another as they stared at the nearing villagers. _Oh well..._ "No dragon, no charge," he smiled, tossing the bag back to the Chief and frowning when the man stepped on it and continued advancing on them. 

"Bowen?" 

"Yes, Rachel?" 

"Before we die, I want you to know one thing." 

"What's that?" 

"_This is all your fault!_" 

Before he could snap out a retort, a loud roar from behind them caught his attention, and he blinked when the villagers suddenly scattered away from them. He understood why moments later when Draco landed heavily behind them, his claws lacing around the horse as he lowered his head to the two girls. 

"Get on!" 

"Don't have to tell me twice," Rachel muttered as she grabbed Erica and scrambled onto Draco's back, feeling her friend get a death grip around her waist as the dragon leapt back into the air, his wingbeats becoming stronger and more powerful as he compensated for the extra weight of the horse and five passengers. 

There was a wail from below, and Rachel chuckled as she peeked over Draco's shoulder to look down at the others as Bother Gilbert's voice rose above the sound of wind and wingbeats. 

"We're going to die! God help us, we're all going to die!" 

"Calm down, Brother Gilbert!" Bowen frowned, looking up past the claws that held them to the dragon's head, noticing the amused smirk there. "We're not going to die. We're just.... flying." 

"If you're going to get yourselves killed, you might as well do it in the fight against Einon!" Kara protested. 

"Lords above, even now, she still can't stop talking about that," Rachel chuckled, glancing back at Erica when her friend whimpered and buried her face against her back, her arms tightening painfully around her waist. "What?" 

"....high...." 

"Oh. Crud. Right. You gonna be okay?" 

"I think I'm gonna hurl...." 

"Don't you dare!" 

"Calm down, Erica," Draco's voice floated back to them on the winds, a definite tone of amusement there. "You're perfectly safe. We'll land soon, I promise." 

Rachel sighed at her friend's panicked whimper and gently patted the arms that were locked around her, her free hand resting against Draco's neck to help her balance herself. "And you? You alright?" 

"Other than a severe dislike of swamps, I'm fine." 

"Good. You damn near gave me a heart attack!" She growled and leaned over his shoulder to glare at Bowen. "Didn't you think to make sure the water was deep enough before going through with this peabrained idea? He could have been killed!" 

Draco jerked a little at the anger and fear in her voice, but quickly hid it by pretending that he was compensating for the weight of the horse and riders. _Oh dear. This could present some problems that I hadn't thought of.... I suppose that I'll have to tell her a bit more. Though I can already guess at her reaction._

"Rachel! Don't lean over like that! You're going to fall!" Erica cried, yanking the other teen backwards and clinging to her. 

"....'Rica....choking....need....air....!" 

"Ack! Sorry! Sorry!" 

"Draco," Bowen frowned, spotting a ruined and ancient castle ahead of them. "What unholy place is this?" 

He snorted, flames dancing in the air in front of him for a moment. "_Unholy?!_ This is _Avalon! _The resting place of King Arthur himself!" He felt Rachel shift again and glanced back at her as she leaned over to get a better view, and he smiled when he saw a look of awe in her eyes before Erica yanked her back again. 

All in all, Draco was greatly relieved to be rid of that horse. It wasn't that it was overly heavy, it was just that the thing kept kicking and bucking, twice he had almost dropped it, and it's passengers, though he quickly hid that fact from them by pretending that he'd hit an unexpected updraft. Once everyone was on solid ground again - something that Erica seemed to be extremely glad of - he gratefully stretched tired muscles, then folded his wings against his back and rose his gaze to the castle before them. "Welcome to Avalon." 

While the others drifted ahead, looking about them as if in a dream, Rachel was certain that she had forgotten how to breathe. It was incredible. More even. She had always believed that there was truth to the legends and tales, but to actually be in Avalon.... 

A powerful push from behind her made her gasp, and she twisted to look back at Draco as he nudged his snout against her back again, ushering her forward. _There's magick here. Something that even Erica and I have never seen...._ "Draco..." 

"There's nothing to fear here," he murmured to her as he rose his head to look at the bright stars overhead, feeling her step close until she was brushing against his right foreleg. Smiling, he lowered his gaze to her again and gently placed his claw against her back, urging her further onto the grounds. 

"There's power here," she frowned, looking up at him warily, unnerved by what she was feeling all around her. 

"Yes. And spirits. The power of the Once Ways is strong here. It's been here since the age of Dragons started. Here now, if you're not going to move on your own then climb on, else I'm going to trip over you if this keeps up." He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction as he crouched just low enough to let her leap onto his back, surprising himself by realising that it actually reassured him to feel her slight weight there as he walked after the others. "If I had known you were able to sense this, I would have warned you." 

"S'okay...." The murmur was barely audible since she was too distracted to bother with a proper reply. The old castle seemed to resonate with life and energy, all of it centring on the spot where the others had gathered, and to where Draco now headed for - a circle of eerie stone columns. "What...." 

"I must do this alone, Rachel," Draco rumbled, glancing back at her as he crouched to let her dismount, seeing understanding flicker across her face as she shakily nodded, then slid to the ground. "You needn't be afraid of this place. It's a haven. Nothing can harm you here, little dreamer." 

She turned at the nickname in time to see him vault up from the ground to perch on top of the tallest column, pebbles and dirt raining down as he clutched at the stone, his tail curling around it. Forcing herself to at least seem calm, she pulled her cloak tighter around herself and walked over to the silent Erica and Kara, joining them in listening to the end Brother Gilbert's soft prayer where he knelt at a column. 

Still in awe, the monk solemnly finished his prayer, then rose, brushing himself off before turning to the three woman. "Ready now, Kara." Frowning, he turned and looked at the silent knight. "And you, Bowen? This is Avalon, the Shadow Realm of the Round Table. It's a divine omen!" 

"Omens won't win battles. Nor will _you._ You'll find out when you try to raise your army," Bowen said, staring at the monk long and hard before looking at Kara. "You already know the courage in your village. They're very brave at pelting young girls with vegetables." 

"It must start somewhere," she answered, and this time, there was no malice in her voice, like all the times they had disagreed about this before. Looking away from him, she turned her gaze up to the form above them. "Will you wish us luck, Draco?" 

_Truth...._ The dragon tore his gaze away from the stars and looked down at them all, sighing as he did so. "Long ago, when man was young and the dragon already old, the Wisest of our race took pity on man. He gathered together all the dragons, making them vow to watch over man, always. And at the moment of his death, the night became alive with _those_ stars, and thus was born the Dragon's Heaven. But when we die, not all are admitted to this shining place... no, we have to earn it, or else our souls disappear, as if we never were." He shifted to face them all, seeing shocked understanding flit over Bowen's face. "And that's why I shared my Life-force with a dying boy, so I could reunite man and dragon and insure my place among my ancient brothers of the sky. But.... my sacrifice became my sin." 

"It _was_ you," Bowen frowned. "Your heart beats in Einon's chest." 

Draco nodded and spread his wings, leaping off his perch to land on the stones before the knight. "Yes. My half-heart that cost me _all_ of my soul. Even then, I knew his bloodthirsty nature, but I thought my heart could change him. ....my God! I was so naive!" 

"No more than I." The knight fought back his turmoiled emotions and turned away from the dragon, feeling Draco's gaze upon his back. "All my life I've dreamed of serving noble kings, noble ideals. Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hands long after they've turned to dust." He closed his eyes for a moment, then rounded on the dragon. "I will not be that naive again!" 

"Mmhm." Rising away from the knight, Draco turned away and looked at the others. "Kara. I will go with you." He glanced back in time to see Bowen whirl and stalk from the circle of columns and sighed deeply. "So be it. Farewell, Bowen." 

~*~ 

"We can't just leave him," Erica whispered to a strangely silent Rachel as they hurried to get off the mountain before the dark clouds that had gathered above them opened up. "Rachel..." 

She shook her head a little, still reeling from both the exposure to Avalon and what had flashed before her thoughts when Draco had been speaking. Glimpses of something, something that she had grasped for, something that was important.... something that scared her to her very soul. A touch on her arm made her jerk her head up to meet Erica's worried gaze, and she blinked dazedly when she realised that she had been talking to her. "Sorry. What?" 

"I said that we can't just leave Bowen behind. We have to go back for him." 

"Right. You're right. How?" 

"I don't know. Sending Kara is a bad idea, and we don't know half of what's going on. Gilbert?" 

"No. Preaching won't help." 

"Draco then." 

"Yeah. But how to convince him?" 

Erica smirked. "I'm betting that if you asked him, he'd go without any questions." 

"'Rica, don't start. I'm being serious." 

"So am I! But alright. We need an argument here. A reason. Or an excuse...." 

"....I got it!" 

~*~ 

"Draco!" 

He turned at the call and rose from his perch on top of a rocky overhang, frowning as Rachel ran over to him, crouching when she neared him. _What is she doing out here?_ It had started raining nearly half an hour ago, and it had been sheer luck that he had found the overhang for them to camp out under while he perched atop it and calmly waited for the storm to pass, oblivious to the weather that washed over him. But he knew that while it made no difference to him, that being exposed to the cold rain for too long could make humans and elves very sick. "Rachel, what are you doing? You'll catch your death of cold out here!" 

"I'll be fine," she protested, smiling slightly when he extended a wing to shield her from the rain. "Listen, you've got to go back for Bowen." 

"Rachel..." 

"Just trust me on this! You're the only one who can get him to come back, and it's because you two have been through the same betrayals and hardships. It doesn't work when Kara or any of us pester him because we can't see his side of things, but you can! That Old Code of his, that's how you can get him back." 

"You've been thinking this through, haven't you?" 

She grinned. "Erica and I have been fine tuning this little argument since we passed the halfway point of the mountain." 

"I knew you two were up to something. You were entirely too quiet," Draco chuckled, angling his wing so that it kept the wind from her as well as the rain. "Alright, but you should get back to the others. I can't bring you with me this time." 

"I know. Besides, I'm freezing out here! How can you just stand there in this and not be shivering?!" 

Grinning, he leaned his head down to her and exhaled, warming her with his breath. "It's a dragon thing," he chuckled, being careful not to scorch her as he breathed out more warm air from his nostrils, controlling his reflexes to keep from flaming her. "I'll go fetch Bowen, and rejoin you at the village." 

"Great.... Draco?" 

"Hmm?" 

She glanced away for a moment before meeting his gaze. "Promise me that you'll be careful." 

"What brought this on?" 

"I don't know. Just.... just promise me." 

He frowned at the very real worry in her eyes. _There's no way she could know. Unless she sensed something back in Avalon...._ "I give you my word. I'll be careful." _I'll have to tell her now. She doesn't know what she's sensing, but it's nearly panicked her. _Sighing, he lightly nudged her in the side with his tail, extending his wing as far as he could to try to give her as much dry passage possible. "Go back into the cave. I'll see you at the village." 

"Okay." She waved and started to pick her way down the path, then paused. _Oh, what the hell._

"Rachel? What...?" The rest of his sentence was lost in sheer surprise when she spun around and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms as far around his neck as she could as she hugged him. Shock slowly gave way, and he smiled as he rested his right claw on her back, feeling her tighten her hold on him in response. "You do realise that now you're completely soaked again. You undid all my hard work at trying to keep you warm." 

She snickered and looked up at him. "Sorry." 

"No you're not," he chuckled, smiling when she rested her cheek against his chest, directly over his half-heart, the constant ache of the wound inside him fading a little. "Alright, get back into the shelter before you freeze." 

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you later," Rachel grinned, releasing him and making a break down the path, yelping when she slid down the last three meters until she was under the rocky overhang. 

"Well?" Erica asked, looking at her curiously. "Did it work or did you risk pneumonia for nothing?" 

Still grinning, Rachel shook water off of her cloak, then pointed out into the storm, where a familiar winged form was heading back to Avalon.   
  



	12. Nothing more to lose

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
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**Nothing more to lose**   
  


Erica yawned softly as she walked through the village, glancing up at the setting sun for a moment before the sight of two silhouettes caught her attention, making her heart skip a beat for a moment before she recognised the forms of Bowen and Draco. It had been five days now, since she, Kara, Rachel and Gilbert had headed into the village and tried to convince a man called 'Hewe' that if he and his village helped them in this rebellion, that the outcome would be different than the last. All in all, that conversation would have ended with Kara being clubbed over the head with a wooden shovel had Bowen not arrived in time, the arrow that had thunked into the tool's spade surprising Hewe enough that he had frozen in mid swing. 

It still surprised her now, how different Bowen had seemed. Gone was the broken down knight she and Rachel had first met. This knight had a fire within him, a purpose, and it showed. Even though his armour and clothes were a little tattered from years of wear and tear, the sheer look in his eyes, and the energy that he resonated was more than enough to make people pause and take notice. 

And then Draco had come, summoned by Bowen's signal, the dragon had risen in front of the fiery disc of the setting sun, wings beating strongly as rose high above the knight, wisps of fog curling around him as he clawed the air, running on the winds. She understood then, why Rachel had been fascinated by dragons for so long. 

Naturally, his appearance sent the entire village into a panic, and it had taken Bowen and Kara a long hour to convince them that the dragon meant no harm at all. It helped that they had seen Rachel run over to the creature and throw her arms around his neck in a hug, seen his answering smile as he had brushed his cheek against her arm when she had pulled away. 

The first few days had been the worst, but somehow, Bowen had held through, helping the villagers gather materials to make swords and bows and then teaching them on how to make the sturdiest weapons. It would have taken much longer had Draco not volunteered to help, joining the villagers in cutting down a few trees for lumber and carting loads of heavy wood around the village. What would have normally taken a week to prepare had been done in two days. And thus Draco earned the villagers trust. 

But that didn't come easily to Rachel and herself. They were outsiders of the realm. And they were witches. They weren't met with outright violence, but she could always see a glint of wary distrust in people's eyes whenever she looked at them, as if they expected her to curse them or something equally moronic. But somewhere along the line, she and Rachel had stopped caring. They were there to do a job, and they'd get it done whether they were liked or not. It was just that simple. 

And now... now was the eve before the fated day. Tomorrow would mark the future of the kingdom and the fates of the people around her. She only hoped that the fates, and any Gods were on their side. 

Sighing, she turned away from where she had been staring at the horizon and looked over at a group of villagers around a bonfire, seeing their confident expressions as they talked about tomorrows coming battle. _Never thought I'd be taking part in a fight that's going to decide the fate of an entire kingdom. I figured the worst I'd ever have to go through in my life were going to be mid-term exams._

"'Rica?" 

She turned at the call and smiled at her best friend. "Hey. Where've you been?" 

"Just putting a few finishing touches on my bow. Making sure I had enough arrows, that sort of thing," Rachel shrugged, turning to gaze over at the bonfire nearby. "Hard to believe that we're in the middle of this, huh?" 

"Yeah. I keep thinking that I should be waking up soon." She trailed off and looked at the other teen, seeing a slight shadow in her eyes. "Stop that. It's not your fault." 

"Maybe." She frowned and glanced away for a moment, staring into the darkness of the forest before returning her gaze to Erica. "You seen Draco? I saw him this afternoon, he said he needed to talk to me." 

"Oh, the ridge. He volunteered to keep lookout tonight." 

"Kay. Thanks. Get some sleep, hmm? You're gonna need it." 

"That goes double for you!" Erica told her, catching her smirk before the teen broke into a full run, heading for the ridge. Once Rachel was gone, she sighed heavily and turned to her attention back to the bonfire, watching the flames dance. _Goddess.... guide us tomorrow. Let us win...._

~*~ 

Draco rumbled softly as he rested his chin down onto his claws, silently gazing out over the land ahead of him. It was only a precaution, keeping a lookout tonight, Bowen seriously doubted that Einon was foolish enough to try to pull a sneak attack in the dead of night, but the thought that he might send a few assassins hadn't escaped them. Ever since Brok had stumbled across the villagers while they were in the midst of training, everyone had been on alert. Thus the watch had fallen to him, after all, who else could see as clearly during night as the day? 

But being up here alone had a draw back. Now he had the time to think, and his thoughts weren't overly pleasant. He knew that in order for the rebels to have a full victory without ever having to fear Einon's return, that the king would have to be killed... and that meant that _he_ would have to die as well. _And I still haven't talked with Rachel. I wonder if she forgot to come see me..._

Sighing, he rose his head and looked back towards the village, the numerous campfires that littered the landscape behind him giving the ground an eerie glow. Even in the darkness, his keen eyesight easily made out the form that was heading towards him, and he smiled despite himself as he lowered his head to the teen that ran over to him. "I was afraid you'd forgotten." 

"Nah. I got caught up," she told him breathlessly as she dropped to the ground and sat lotus style, grinning at the amused look he gave her. "Sorry. I haven't stopped yet today. If it isn't Bowen trying to pester me into telling him what spells I know, it's Gilbert preaching at me about how I'm going to hell, or someone needing archery lessons.... It's been eventful. Let's leave it at that." 

He frowned at one part of what she had said. "That monk told you what?" 

"Oh, I'm a heathen for practicing pagan rituals or something idiotic like that. I don't know. I stopped listening after I realised he wasn't saying anything that I hadn't heard before." At the dragon's curious look, she shrugged. "Back where I come from, magick is automatically viewed as evil. And thus against the rules of the major religions.... It's all overly complicated. Basically, I'm going to hell for being a witch. Granted, I figure with the way my life has been that I'd be ending up there anyway...." 

"Don't ever speak that way again," he growled, startling her. "You are not to blame for the evils of others." 

"I wouldn't talk if I were you." 

Draco jerked a little at her retort. "That's different. I knew Einon had his father's nature, and still, I saved him." 

"You tried to help your people." 

"I was selfish." He sighed and looked at her morosely. "It was my mistake, Rachel. In sharing my heart, I've taken on every poison in him. ...even the pain of his death must be mine. You must understand. Through the heart, we share each other's pain and power, but in my half beats the lifesource. For Einon to die, I--" 

"No!" 

"Rachel--" 

"You've got to be out of your mind!" she cried as she lunged to her feet, glaring at him. "Why are you telling me this?!" 

"Because I want you to understand why. As long as Einon lives, he's a threat to this land and countless others. His evil must be stopped.... at any cost." 

"This is insane! You can't--" 

Draco cut her off with a soft growl and met her desperate gaze. "The day of dragons is done. My time is over, Rachel." 

She shook her head, refusing to listen. "There's got to be another way! A spell! Something! I'll tap into Hell itself to find the magicks if I have to!" 

"You'll do no such thing!" 

"Just because you've given up doesn't mean that I have to!" 

"Damn your stubborn hide!" Growling, he rose to his feet and glared down at her, hating the look of betrayal she was giving him. "You cannot change what's already been written! Einon and I are bound to the same fates, you can no more change that then I can!" 

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" 

The cry made him take a step back, shocked at the pain in her voice. His anger faded as quickly as it had come, and he sighed softly as he lowered his head close to her, frowning when he saw that she was trembling, her head lowered so that her bangs hid her eyes. A rumble left him when she backed away from him, and he gasped when she spun and ran from him, heading back to the village. "Rachel... Rachel, wait!" _That didn't go at all the way I wanted._

Closing his eyes, he hung his head and sighed deeply, wishing that there had been another way. In the long run, he hoped that she would understand why he had chosen this fate. He only hoped that she didn't hate him, it had hurt him enough to see that look of betrayed agony in her eyes. _If I had the time, I'd try to figure out why we're drawn to each other, why she out of all the people I've ever met.... more even than Bowen... why she is the only one who has such a strong sense of the Once Ways within her...._

Yells from thecamp drew his attention, and his eyes widened when he saw a form bolt from the village, vanishing into the forest. _Oh no._ Hoping that his fears were unfounded, he spread his wings and quickly soared down into the village square, turning to look at Erica as she ran over to him the moment he landed, fixing him with an accusing glare. 

"What the hell did you say to her?!" 

"What's happened?" Bowen demanded as he stumbled out of his hut and walked over to them, fighting off the last bits of sleep that clung to him as he did so. 

"Rach just stole the spellbook and took off!" Erica told him, glancing at the sullen dragon afterwards. "I don't know what the hell went on up there, but you're going to damn well go and bring her back!" 

"I--" 

Erica glared at Draco angrily. "Take note that that wasn't a request! You're the only one who can catch up to her before she does something stupid!" 

His wings sagged as he shook his head sadly. "It won't make a difference. Not now." 

"Oh my God, you really have no idea, do you?" she whispered, shock replacing her anger as she exchanged glances with Bowen before looking at the confused dragon again. "You know, for the one who boasts that he's got the best eyesight among us, you're blinder than a bat." 

~*~ 

Rachel clutched the spellbook to her chest as she ran, heading for the clearing that she and Erica had landed in when they first came. It was there that she figured would be the best spot to try to magick herself back to where she belonged. She had been stupid to think that she could be happy here. _There's nothing here.... nothing.... I'll send myself back and leave the book behind, that way Erica can get home whenever she wants, though I doubt I'll be around for a reunion._

Tears blurred her vision, and she rose her free hand to angrily rub the back of her hand over her eyes, forcing herself to keep going. It wasn't far off, not now that she knew the lay of the land. Now she could easily reach the fields by foot, which made it nearly impossible for her to be seen by any riders... or flyers. _How could I have been so stupid?!_

She was bone weary by the time she burst out of the dense forest onto the grain field, the clear skies above her letting just enough light from the stars light the land around her as she glared at the book in her hands. "I want to go back! I wish I had never come here! Send me back!" 

When nothing happened, she loosed a scream and threw the book to the ground in a fit of rage, her gaze catching sight of the familiar constellation above her, and it was to the stars that she turned her anger. "Why bring me here if I have to watch him die!? If he dies I have nothing! What sort of sick joke is this, you heartless bastards?! Why can't I just be happy?!" Her voice cracked, and she shuddered as she dropped to her knees in defeat, her anger fading to be replaced with a cold emptiness as she lowered her face into her hands, crying freely. "Why do you have to take him away...." 

She didn't know how long she knelt there, it could have been minutes or hours for all the difference it made. But it was when she felt a brush of smooth scales against her arm that she rose her face from her hands, staring into eyes that held such despair that all she could do was cling to him and bury her face against warm scales, shivering when a claw rose to press her closer. 

Draco sighed softly as he let her cry against him and carefully shifted to settle himself onto the ground, rumbling when she leaned on his chest and buried her face in the scales on the side of his neck. "....I'm sorry, little dreamer. If there was another way...." His throat tightened, and he closed his eyes as he listened to her soul deep sobs, hating that he was unable to tell her what she wanted to hear. "Rachel, listen to me, please. It isn't that I _want_ to die, but that I _must_. It's the only way to destroy Einon's evil. If I delayed this, and he rose into power again and caused more deaths and suffering, it would break me. Do you understand?" 

She hiccupped and weakly rose a hand to wipe at her eyes. "H-how do you know there isn't a-another way?" she stammered, not moving away from him. "There's magicks...." 

"Even if it was possible to separate Einon from the heart, he's tainted it, Rachel. It's polluted with his evil." 

"....then what am I supposed to do?" 

"Live. Either here or back in your world. Live." He gently pushed her away so that he could see her and sighed at the defeated look in her eyes. "Erica told me, about how she's never seen you happier than you have been this past few weeks. About how afraid she is that you'll end your own life. We have a bond, you and I, though even I don't fully understand it. You have the Once Ways within you, it's a strength that will do you well in the times to come, even if it doesn't feel that way to you right now. If you truly care for me, little dreamer, you'll live your life to it's fullest." 

"Draco..." 

"Swear it. Promise me." 

She shivered, but nodded. "I swear." 

A low rumble of relief left him as he leaned down to lightly brush his cheek along her arm, closing his eyes when she threw her arms as far around his head as she could, resting her forehead against one of his horns as she cried softly. This time he let her be, letting her cry until her sorrow had worn itself out, leaving her emotionally cleansed and exhausted. "Rachel?" 

"What?" 

"I am truly sorry," he whispered, feeling her rub a corner of her cloak over his scales, where her tears had fallen on him. 

"I know. Do me a favour?" 

"Of course." 

"Let me fly with you tomorrow, when you attack the castle." 

Now he pulled away, frowning as he opened his eyes to look down at her. "You know I can't. I'll be flying hard and fast, no doubt Einon will have ballista's at the ready as well. It's too dangerous." 

"Draco, please. If.... if you have to die, I don't want it to be at the hands of those bastards." 

He sighed and looked at her affectionately. "Alright. I suppose a magick wielding elf could come in handy," he murmured, holding her gaze a moment longer before reaching out to scoop her spellbook into the palm of his left claw, holding it out to her. "For now, let's go back to the camp, hmm? I've been 'relieved of duty' as Bowen put it, a good night's rest will do us both good. Besides, if you stay near me, I may be able to keep Erica from getting to you. She is highly irritated at you." 

"Nothing new about that," she muttered as she reached out to take the book from him, holding it to her chest as if it was a shield. "You must think I'm a complete idiot." 

"No. I don't." Draco reached out and hooked a gentle talon under her chin, carefully forcing her to raise her head to meet his gaze. "I think I'm very lucky to have met you, little dreamer. Even if it was under such circumstances. Now come, let's go before Erica comes looking for us herself." 

Feeling numb, she automatically climbed up onto his back when he crouched low for her, keeping perfect balance as he rose to his full height and spread his wings, kicking up dirt and grass as he leapt into the air. _Let the fates throw whatever they have at us. We have nothing more to lose now._


	13. The battle's won, but the war is far fro...

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   


**The battle's won, but the war is far from over**   


He was floating in that place between dreaming and wakefulness when the sound of someone calling his name tugged at his thoughts, and Draco let out an irritated growl as he shifted to tuck his wing more firmly around Rachel, eyes snapping open when he encountered only empty space. 

"Jeez, Draco. You planning to sleep through the entire fight or what?" 

Startled, he blinked and looked at the grinning elf that was standing in front of his snout, frowning at her sleepily for a moment before snorting, the gust of warm air lifting her hair off her shoulders. "You're up early." 

"I had to get changed," she shrugged, tugging at her new short sleeved tan shirt for a moment before adjusting the sword belt that rested on her hips, accenting the new soft leather pants she wore. Smirking, she placed her hands on her hips and looked at him in amusement. "You'd better at least pretend to be awake, cuz Bowen's only a few seconds behind me, and we both know how much of a morning person _he_ is." 

_She's either accepted what she can't change, or this is how she's managing to cope.... ah, little dreamer...._ "I'm awake," he yawned, raising his head from the ground and stretching a little before getting to his feet and walking over to the large pond he had landed close to the night before, drinking his fill. Bowen's voice caught his attention then, and he rose his muzzle from the cool water to look over at him as the knight walked over to the elf, Erica in close pursuit. _Oh dear._

"What were you _thinking?!_" 

"Ack!" Rachel ducked the first smack, but not the second, yelping in pain as she backed away from the other teen only to bump into a wall of muscle. Startled, she looked up at Draco from where she was leaning against his right foreleg and followed his gaze to an equally surprised Erica. 

"That's enough," he rumbled softly. "This day will be stressful enough on it's own without us fighting amongst ourselves. Settle this another time." 

"Draco's right - as usual," Bowen said with an amused smirk. "We don't have time for this. We're almost ready to go, I'd say another ten minutes before we can start heading for the castle. You two girls should get going and join the villagers." 

"Rachel rides with me," Draco told the knight, fixing the human with a look when it seemed like he was going to protest. 

Erica frowned at the shadows in her best friend's eyes and sighed. _Something happened between these two. I don't know what, but it's like a part of Rachel's dying..._ "Lost cause, Bowen. I know, Rach. I can tell you right now that there's no way that you're going to be able to change her mind. I wouldn't even bother trying with Draco, either. He's almost as stubborn as she is." 

"I resent that," Rachel muttered, though she did manage to smile at the other teen. "You be careful." 

"Nah, I'll be fine." Erica made a dismissive gesture in the air, then looked at the dragon. "But _you_ had damn well make sure she doesn't get hurt, capice?" 

"You do realise that the last time _I_ yelled at you like that, you nearly flamed me," Bowen murmured to the dragon as Erica glared at him a moment longer before turning to go rejoin the villagers. 

"She's much more dangerous than you, Bowen." Grinning at the look he gave her, Rachel snickered and pushed away from Draco, heading for the hut she shared with Erica and Kara. 

The knight waited until she was out of earshot before turning to the dragon. "What happened between you two? Her eyes.... it's like something's died within her." 

"It was.... unavoidable," Draco muttered softly, frowning as he walked away from Bowen, not wanting to have this conversation now. Better to wait until the last moment. Sighing, he rose his face to the rising sun and closed his eyes, basking in it's warmth while he listened to the sounds of the villagers around him, feeling the cool morning breeze wash over his scales as he stood there. A familiar scent caught his attention then, and he didn't even bother to open his eyes as he lowered his head, rumbling when he felt gentle fingers caress his snout. "A little harder?" 

"And you call me incorrigible." 

He chuckled slightly and cracked an eye open to look at her, noting the dark brown leather vest she now wore and the quiver of arrows strapped to her back, along with her bow. 

"Don't worry. I've got uncanny aim," Rachel assured him when she saw where he was looking. "'Sides, can't hurt to be careful." 

"True. Alright, enough of this, else we'll never get off the ground." He pulled away from her and looked towards the army of villagers, seeing Bowen wave back to him as he led the rebels into the woods. "It's time." Wings spreading, he crouched down and waited until she had climbed onto his back before launching himself into the air, feeling her grip at his scales as he flew after the army. "When we attack, you'll have to hold on tightly. No doubt I'll have to do some fancy flying at times." 

"No worries, Draco. I can handle this," she grinned, patting the back of his neck. "If I didn't fall off when you did that triple barrel roll last week, then I won't be falling off now." 

"I'll hold you to that." 

"I'm sure you will." 

The rest of the flight passed in silence, and Rachel merely took the time to let her gaze wander, staring at the landscape that was spread out beneath them as Draco calmly soared over the forest, easily keeping pace with the army below them. It was only when she spotted the castle in the distance that she started taking mental notes on what spells she had that could be useful, deciding to stick with what she knew best since she'd most likely be reacting on instinct. Frowning a little in concentration, she rose both hands and held them a few inches apart, pulling magick to herself as little crackles of lightning gathered between her palms. _Full power, this could make a very nice hole in a wall. I'll stick with this spell, then, since it's the easiest to weave and to throw._

"Ready?" 

Draco's voice startled her, and she tensed a little before banishing the spell and steeling herself. "Go for it." Her fingers clutched at his scales as he banked sharply, breaking away from the army they had been following and swooping down so that he was skimming the treetops, widely circling the castle. _Right, Einon and Co. will be watching the army... he won't think to watch his back. Stupid little maggot._ She shifted slightly so that she was sitting a big straighter, straddling the back of his neck as she looked over at the castle, mentally checking off which places she should aim for when they got closer. 

As the sounds of their army's challenging cries caught up to them, Draco quickly gained altitude, inwardly proud that Rachel had learned how to balance herself as he turned on a wingtip and came up behind the castle, flying hard and fast. He was sickened to see the dragonslayers that manned the walls with Einon's soldiers, growling lowly when he saw how they used their trophies to decorate themselves, the scales and talons of his brethren adorning their armour like a sick taunt. 

Twin fireballs left his nostrils as he swooped past the castle, decimating the guards that lined the upper walls and sending portions of stone raining down on the ones below the unfortunate humans. A crackle of lightning caught his attention, and he glanced behind him in time to see Rachel launch her own attack, the sphere of destructive energy blowing a hole the size of his head into the battlements. 

He circled again, and this time both he and Rachel attacked as one, the explosions sending clouds of dust and smoke into the air as he darted away, easily avoiding the arrows that came at him. While he knew that it was ridiculous that such a tiny thing could harm him, he was very aware of his passenger as she ducked closer to him, trying to make herself a smaller target. 

"Enough of this," Rachel muttered to herself as she grabbed the bow that had been strapped to her back, quickly notching an arrow as Draco did another pass, waiting until she had a good view of the archers below before releasing the arrow. 

"Good shot!" The dragon called back to her as one of the archers fell from the battlements, feeling her shift her weight as she twisted to loose another arrow. Growling softly as a sense of danger washed over him, he dipped a wing and banked sharply, glaring at the javelin that shot through the air where he had been a moment before. Almost immediately, an arrow flew back to the castle in response, and he cursed under his breath as he soared higher. "Don't waste your arrows! The dragonslayers wear the scales of my kind, you can't hurt them that way!" 

"So what's the plan?" she shouted, holding her bow in her left hand as she clutched at his scales with her right, leaning closer to him as he did a tight turn and blew two more fireballs at the castle. The sound of something cutting through the air caught her attention, and she twisted to look behind them. "Draco! Four ballista shots, to your left!" 

Acting on instinct, he rolled in mid air, reaching out to snatch one of the hooks and shooting upwards, feeling the rope his claws were closed around strain for a moment before falling slack, and he grimly looked back at the castle, spotting the destruction his little tug of war had done. _One less dragonslayer at least._ "Thanks!" 

"No prob! Looks like you're gonna get a chance to do that again! They're setting up more ballistas!" 

"Where?" 

"Um... One on the northeast wall, and two others on the south and west! And there's archers lining the east!" 

He frowned for a moment before glancing back at her. "Alright, this is what we're going to do..." 

~*~ 

"Watch your back!" Erica yelled down to the fighters on the ground, quickly notching an arrow and felling the soldier that had been aiming to kill one of the villagers. Never had she seen something so horrific. Sure, she had seen hundreds of wars in movies, but to live it large and in colour, was something that she had never wanted to do. She and three other archers were situated on a platform high up in the trees, and the air was thick with smoke from the fires that had been lit to confuse and startled Einon and his troops. 

A scream sounded from below and to the left, and she frightened herself by automatically notching and loosing another arrow, crippling another soldier. Her eyes stung from the smoke, and she rose a hand to rub at them, wondering if Rachel was having as hard a time as she was. 

"Hey, you okay?" 

"I'm fine. The smoke's making it hard to see," she muttered to the other archer - she thought his name was Giras - who was looking at her worriedly. 

Another cry caught their attentions then, and they both turned to look over at Bowen as he called up to Brother Gilbert, who was perched on another platform a few trees away. The knight had only a moment to point towards Einon before two soldiers were upon him, forcing him to face them before going after the king. 

"What's he waiting for?" Erica frowned as she jerked her gaze over to the monk, who was shaking as he took aim at the king, the only one who was still on horseback. _We can end this all with just one shot... just one and it'll all be over...._ "Shoot!" 

The yell snapped Brother Gilbert's thoughts into focus, and even though his mind screamed at him to remember his vows as a monk, his fingers still released the arrow, watching as it flew in perfect trajectory to embed itself into Einon's chest. 

But the scream of pain that sounded wasn't Einon's... it was Draco's. 

"Oh my God," Erica whispered as she joined the villagers in watching the dragon recoil in mid air, claws clutching at his chest before he plummeted into the castle. "Rach!" 


	14. Cruel fate

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   


**Cruel fate**   


"This sucks." The snarl was spoken to no one in particular, though that was probably a good thing. Had anyone actually heard the rage and hatred in those two words, they would have feared for their lives. 

Rachel twisted to glare at the shackles that held her to the wall and closed her hands on one of the chains, planting a foot against the wall as she pulled, straining to rip the steel from it's moorings. It was in vain of course, she wasn't strong enough to do that, but it helped lessen the pent up anger that had been building inside her. 

She still didn't know all of what had happened. Once moment she and Draco had been swooping down to destroy the ballista on the south wall, the next he had been screaming in pain, his wings shuddering in reaction to the sudden agony before dropped from the sky. His landing had been far from graceful, sending her sprawling to the courtyard stones hard enough that she had nearly been knocked unconscious. Bruised and dazed, she had been roughly hauled to her feet by two guards, and despite Draco's weakened attempts to help her, she had been dragged off to the tower and thrown in chains. 

The dragon, meanwhile, had been roughly chained to the courtyard stones, the bonds pinning all four feet, tail and neck to the ground so that he couldn't get enough leverage to break free. It had been cruel torture on the guard's part to throw her in here, where there was a window overlooking the courtyard, and the dragon that lay there. 

A sigh left her as she went back to the window, staring down at him in the darkness of night as he thrashed in his chains again, a low snarl drifting up to her as he stilled again, the torches that lined the battlements bathing him in a soft glow. _Oh gods, how the hell are we going to get out of this? I can't use my most powerful spell, it's lightning based, I'd fry myself in the process if I tried to melt the chains...._ Despair sunk it's talons into her then, and she closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against the cold rock wall, fighting to keep her tears at bay. _Not only am I going to lose him, but he's going to die at the hands of those butchers...._

The rough grating of metal scraping on stone drew her attention back to the dragon, and she screamed when she saw a woman standing over him, a spear aimed straight for his head. Her voice echoed loudly, and she saw both jerk and look towards her, the distraction costing them dearly as Einon emerged from the shadows and seized the woman by her shoulders, ripping the spear from her hands. His voice carried clearly, and Rachel felt horror flood through her as the woman that she now knew was Aislinn turned from the young king, not even looking back as she headed into a dark doorway, Einon in close pursuit. 

Her fist hit the wall with enough force to draw blood as Draco's roar of anger and despair drowned out Aislinn's last scream, and this time she couldn't stop her tears as she sagged against the rough windowsill. Only the familiar panicked call made her look up from her hands to gaze down at the dragon that was straining against his chains again, trying to raise his head to look at her. "Draco!" 

"Rachel! You're alive!" Draco wrenched at the chains again, trying to at least get a glimpse of her. "I thought they had killed you! Are you alright?!" 

"I'm fine!" she called, her voice cracking as she rested her forehead against the wall again, raising a hand to cover her eyes as she cried. "I'm alright...." 

"Hey! Pipe down in there!" A guard outside her cell growled, glaring at her through the small barred hole in the door. 

She snarled and bared her teeth at him. "Go to hell." 

"Oh, is that so?" 

Eyes narrowed, she turned so that her back was to the wall, watching as the guard unlocked the door and stepped inside. There was another call from Draco, but she ignored him for the moment, warily staring at the man in front of her as he sneered at her and drew a dagger. 

"You should show more respect for your betters, bitch." 

"That's _witch_ you moron!" 

Rachel jerked a little in surprise as the guard suddenly cried out and tried to reach for something at his back, blinking when he dropped to his stomach on the floor at her feet, the arrow that had hit him still quivering. Still startled, she darted her gaze towards the door and nearly cheered. "Erica!" 

"Hey, having fun without me?" the other teen greeted as she ran into the room and grabbed the keys from the guards belt, hurrying over to free her friend. "Hang tight, I'll have you out of here in a minute." 

"You're here by yourself?!" 

"No way. Bowen, Kara and Gilbert are around here somewhere, and the rest of the rebels are storming the castle." One of the shackles clicked open, and she smiled grimly as she turned her attention to the other manacle. "Bowen's fighting Einon as we speak, but he can't hold him off forever, so we'll have to hurry if we want to go free Draco." 

"No problems there!" The second manacle fell off, and Rachel took a moment to rub at her sore and bruised wrists before snatching the guards dagger out of his limp hand and running for the door. "Let's go!" 

"Right behind ya! Though I'll have you know that you have _a lot_ of explaining to do!" 

"Later! Right now we have to hurry and--" The last of her sentence was cut off as she skidded to a stop, staring right into the face of a leering guard as a crossbow's arrow was nudged against her heart. "....no...." 

"_Rachel!!!!_" 

~*~ 

_That was Erica!_ As the last echoes of the scream faded, Draco snarled and thrashed against his bonds, straining against them in desperation. _Not her. Not the little dreamer.... This has to end!_ Sounds of a sword fight from above him made him twist to look out of the corner of his right eye, spotting Bowen and Einon up on the unfinished tower. "Bowen!" 

Pain exploded in his head as he saw the knight club Einon in the head with a rock, and he clenched his jaw to muffle the roar that threatened to escape when that idiotic king fell off the tower, crashing through scaffolding and stone to land in the cistern below the castle. _Stay down there for five more minutes you fool, then you'll know true pain._ Frantic to end it all right then before he could lose his resolve, he painfully twisted in his bonds and ricocheted a fireball off the courtyard stones, sending it flying up to hit the final dragon slayer head-on before the brute could loose the arrow he had been aiming at Bowen. _Hurry knight...._

Footsteps sounded next to him, and Draco growled as he threw himself against the chains again. "Now it's you, Bowen! It's you that has to do it!" Did the knight hear the desperation in his voice? 

"What are you talking about?" 

Apparently not. "Even as the heart binds Einon to me in life, it binds us in death!" 

Bowen dropped his axe next to him as he struggled with the lock of the chain pinning the dragon's head to the ground, a small part of him mourning the sword he had lost in the battle with Einon as he finally managed to wrench the chains free. Shaking his head at Draco's words, he stood and reached up to remove the bindings from around the dragon's blunt horns. "That's not true." 

"You've seen that it is!" he growled, free to finally raise his head to face the knight. "Through the heart we share each others pains and power, but in my half beats the lifesource! For Einon to die, _I_ must die!" 

"Einon _is_ dead!" 

"_He lives!_" 

Refusing to even contemplate what Draco was suggesting, Bowen snatched up his weapon and gestured towards the castle gates, where the sounds of a battle were drawing closer. "It doesn't matter. Don't you hear it? Our rebels have stormed the castle, alive or dead, Einon's beaten. We've won!" 

"You will never win until Einon's evil is destroyed, and to do that you must destroy _me!_" 

"No..." 

Frustration gave birth to sheer desperation, an ache to finally have this nightmare over with. Let him go to the darkness instead of the stars. He didn't care anymore. "Once you swore your sword and service were mine! To call when I have need of you, to ask what I would of you! I hold you to your vow, Knight!" A coldness travelled down his spine, and his eyes widened as he snapped his head up. "He's coming! Coming to stop you. Strike before it's too late!" 

Acting on reflex, Bowen whirled at the warning, his gaze darting around the courtyard until it fell on the broken shards of scaffolding that hung loosely, just above the gaping hole that Einon had made on his fall down to the depths of the cistern. He saw Kara sprint down the stairs leading there and lean over the edge to peer down into the darkness, her own eyes worried as she met his gaze and shook her head. Feeling fear edge into him, he turned and looked at the dragon again, the creature that he had hated for so long... the one who had turned out to be his greatest friend. "You are the last." 

"My time is over. Strike!" 

He shook his head slightly, torn at the dragon's words. "You are my friend." 

_Oh, another twist of the knife, Fates? Have my friend do the deed? _His resolve wavered at the very real pain and fear in the humans gaze, but he clung to the knowledge of what Einon had done, of what he would continue to do if left alive. "Then as my friend... strike, _please!_" 

A shudder went through him at the plea, and Bowen turned away, fighting the very real emotions that were welling up within him. "I can't." 

"Then I will make you." Roaring, he lunged at the knight, ignoring the chains that bit deep into him at the movement. "Fight back dragon slayer! Defend yourself!" 

Startled by the attack, Bowen could only shake his head, holding his ground when he saw Draco take a deep breath. Moments late, flames burst forth from the dragon's nostrils, and he fought the urge to recoil as the blasts went to either side of him, not even close enough to scorch him. Once the flames died, he glared at his 'attacker' and threw the axe aside, letting it skid across the slick courtyard stones. 

"Pick it up!" He was about to loose another blast of fire when Kara's frightened gasp drew his attention, his eyes widening when he saw Einon, bloody and battered but very much alive, holding the girl to him, his sword at her throat. _No..._

Laughing in victory, the king looked from the dragon to the knight, grinning. "Move, and she dies." 

_I will not let you harm another one that I care for!_ Snarling in defiance, Draco wrenched his left claw free and savagely sank his fangs into it, delighting in Einon's scream of pain as he clutched at his own hand, releasing Kara and letting her escape. He caught Bowen's gaze in desperation as the knight ran to snatch at the axe he had tossed aside and rose his free claw to lift the scales that hid the jagged red scar over his heart, fully exposing the tender flesh beneath as Einon drew a dagger and ran forward. _Let us end it...._

As if in slow motion, Draco saw the knight, his friend, look from the oncoming Einon to him again, his eyes filled with such torn emotion that for a moment, the dragon almost lost his resolve. Then Bowen spun, the axe whirling from his hands, and he closed his eyes in a grimace of expected agony.... 

~*~ 

"Oh Gods, Rach, Rachel! Rachel?!" Erica's heart thundered in her chest with panic as she pressed her hands around the shaft of the arrow that was embedded in her best friend, her eyes clouded by tears as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding. _Gods no... no..._ Frantic, she reached out and tore a piece of cloth off of the guard that was lying dead nearby, her own arrow buried in his neck, a mute testament to her rage at having been unable to stop him from harming her friend. "Hang on, c'mon, Rach, hang on..." 

Hands shaking, she broke off most of the arrow shaft, afraid to pull the entire thing out lest she accidentally do more harm than good as she clumped the cloth into a ball and held it against the wound, sobbing at the weak cries of agony from the white-haired teen. "Rach, don't you dare leave me here! You hear me, you stubborn thick-headed idiot? Don't you leave me here alone!" The teens breath rasped in her throat, and Erica started shaking in terror as she watched her friend's skin turn ashen, the wound that she was covering starting to bleed a much darker colour at a much faster rate, signifying a deeper injury than even she had thought of. "No! Someone help me!" 

Her eyes searched the battlements around her as she prayed for anyone to find them, a villager, even a guard. "Please! Someone help me!" Tears trailed down her cheeks in a torrent as she clenched her eyes shut, her voice cracking with emotion. _I want the power to save her! I don't care where I get it!_ "Someone help me save her!! _Please!!_"   
  



	15. New hope

_Lashana owns only Rachel and Erica. That is all. Everything else belongs to someone else. Though we wish we owned Draco...._   
__ __

**New hope**

  


....nothing. 

Startled, Draco snapped his eyes open, staring at the axe that was hovering a mere talon-length away from his chest, the weapon enveloped in an unearthly red glow. _What in the world?_

"_Enough!_" 

Everyone's gazes, even Einon's, was drawn to the source of the yell, watching as a funnel of bright red and gold glowing wind appeared in the centre of the courtyard, growing until it nearly reached Draco before imploding on itself, diminishing to a swirling fog that seemingly reached outwards with questing tendrils of mist. 

Bowen's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the form that stood in the apex of the fog, barely able to recognise the woman as Erica as she rose her now blood red eyes with black elliptical pupils to stare at him, and he shivered in reaction, feeling as though she was staring into his very soul. 

"Peace, Knight. I will not harm you." The voice resonated loudly, as if both Erica and another, deeper voice, were speaking in perfect unison, the result sending answering shivers down everyone's spines. 

It was Draco that first saw the other form that lay crumpled on the ground next to the seemingly possessed Erica, and he moaned in despair as he stared at the body of the elf, knowing that the pool blood that was forming around her was her own. "....no...." 

"What trickery is this? You think you can save yourselves with some parlour tricks?" Einon sneered, returning his attention to the knight when he realised that his old mentor was unarmed. "'Only expose your back to a corpse', remember, Bowen?" 

As the king lunged forward, Erica, moving as if in a daze, rose her left hand, not even showing a shred of emotion as red energy gathered around the human, lifting him off his feet and swirling around him wildly. "I would not speak of such things if I were you, Human. You time is nearer than you think." Turning away from the screaming and struggling king, she looked at the still partially chained dragon and made another gesture, the axe that was frozen in mid-air trembling for a moment before flying into her open hand. "Before you lies a choice. Life," and she gestured to the elf at her feet, "or death?" A nod in Einon's direction. 

"Life?" Draco frowned in incomprehension and shifted within the unforgiving hold of the chains. "Einon must die, our lives are tied, there is no life left for me." 

"That was not my question. I ask again, life or death?" There was a pause. Then. "I shall not ask again." 

_Life? _He looked from Erica to a shocked Bowen, who was now holding a bewildered and wary Kara. The faint hope that this wasn't his end, that he'd actually be able to share in his rebel's victory, in their freedom, tugged at him, as did the knowledge of what lay hidden deep within the safety of his cave. "....life. I choose..." He trailed off as he looked back at Erica, or at least the one who was within Erica, his gaze falling on the form at her feet. _The little dreamer...._

"So be it." 

Draco snapped his head around at the shriek that came from Einon, his eyes widening when he saw ghostly tendrils of mist piercing the king's chest, withdrawing moments later with a glowing shape that was marred with dark patches of blackness, leaving Einon's lifeless body to drop to the ground. _The heart?! But how?! I didn't feel the pain... what is she... No! _"You mustn't!" A growl of panic left him as he strained at his chains, thrashing as Erica took the half-heart in her hand and knelt next to the elf. "It's tainted! It's evil will pollute her!" 

The answer was simple. As emotionless as the motion that pulled the broken arrow from the girl's chest. "She will purify it." 

"It could kill her!" 

"She will survive. Half your heart to make her whole, it's strength to purify her weakness. Or have you forgotten our secrets, youngling?" 

_Youngling?!_ "Who are you to call me--" His demand was cut off by his own hiss of sheer astonishment, his eyes going wide as the one who was controlling Erica met his gaze. "....Wise One!" 

"Indeed. Your time is not yet finished. Nor is hers. There is much work for you to do, and many lives to protect. You, are not the last. This you know. The other will need guidance that these two-leggers cannot give." 

Trembling in shock, Draco merely watched in silence as Erica lowered her hand, pressing the heart into Rachel's wound. He shuddered moments later, closing his eyes as he sensed his lifesource reach out to fuel the half-heart, feeling the beginning of the war that was taking place within her as her soul fought the darkness that had tainted the gift. _Fight it, little dreamer. Fight._

"The Once Ways are strong in this vessel," the one possessing Erica announced as she rose to her feet again, the still swirling mist picking up speed until the wind lifted her hair from her shoulders. "As they are strong in the Knight and his Lady. But the Elf, she shows great promise. She is the last of a race once tied to our own. Kindred Spirits. You have done well by choosing her as yours." 

"'Choosing her as mine'?" Draco frowned and shook his head slightly. "I don't understand." 

There was the sound of a deep unearthly chuckle. "You _have _forgotten. Best you remember in your own time then." 

"What? No, wait!" His yell went unanswered as the glowing mist rose from Erica, detaching itself from her before vanishing in a flash of brilliant light. When his sight had finally recovered, he gazed over at the two unconscious girls on the courtyard stones and frowned in worry before turning to shoot an impatient look at the stunned pair of Bowen and Kara. "Would you mind getting me out of these chains?!" 

~*~ 

The next five days went by at a crawl. The rebel group had taken over the castle as their own, quickly driving out any that remained loyal to the dead Einon, exiling them from the realm. To their surprise, Bowen and Kara found themselves being appointed as the new rulers, and while they were reluctant to accept, it was plain that the realm had to have _some_ rulers, else chaos would befall them. 

Unfortunately, while Erica had quickly recovered from the possession with no memory of what had happened, Rachel remained unconscious, gripped in the throes of a nightmare that pulled cries of terror and agony from her, a nightmare that no one could pull her out of. Even Draco was helpless, left only to watch and wait as he kept silent vigil over her, trying to sooth her when the pain became too much, and urging her onwards when he sensed that she was close to giving up. 

It had been good thinking on Bowen's part to give the dragon the stables as his own and placing a temporary cot there so he could stay near the elf. There had been a few times where he imagined that if they had put Rachel in a room in the castle that Draco would have forced his way through any barriers to comfort her when the nightmares that plaguing her tore cries of pain from her. As it was, he had his hands full trying to keep Erica from blaming herself for the elf's pain, and juggling numerous duties that had to be taken care of to keep the castle's new inhabitants from bickering amongst themselves. 

It was the eve of the fifth day when Rachel finally clawed her way to wakefulness, blinking dazedly as she rose a shaking hand to touch the aching scar over her heart, feeling the strange pulse there. Wincing, she gingerly propped herself up on her elbows and looked around, staring at the dragon that was resting by the side of the cot she was on, his head so close that she could reach out to touch him without any real effort. He seemed ragged to her, exhausted despite the deep sleep he seemed to be in, and she frowned at the broken horn on his carapace as she hesitantly ran her fingers over his snout. 

The reaction was immediate. 

Growling in warning, Draco snapped his eyes open and rose his head from where he had been resting his chin on his foreclaws, glaring at the closed stable doors in confusion for a moment before gasping and jerking his gaze over to the cot, meeting the tired blue gaze that was looking at him in surprise. "...Rachel? Rachel! You're awake!" 

"Well yeah. What's....ack!" The last was due to the dragon that had just bowled her over, and she automatically threw her arms around his neck to keep him from knocking her to the floor. "What's gotten into you?" 

He pulled away and looked at her curiously. "You don't remember?" 

"I damn well remember getting shot, but anything after that...." she shrugged helplessly. "No clue." 

_How to tell her?_ Rumbling softly, he settled himself down again and held a claw out to her. "Come here," he smiled, looking at her worriedly as she gripped one of his talons and weakly got to her feet, walking over to him a little unsteadily. Waiting until she was sitting close to him, he rose his free claw to his chest and slowly lifted the thick scale over his heart, hearing her quick intake of breath when she saw the scar. "Shh. Place your hand there. Don't worry, you won't hurt me. Close your eyes and feel." 

Curious as to what he was up to, she started to reach out, then paused, glancing at him warily for a moment. When all she got was an encouraging smile, she closed her eyes and rested her hand against the scar, feeling the strong heartbeat against her palm. _Why exactly am I doing... _"By the Gods!" She snatched her hand back as if she had been burned, raising it to touch the aching scar over her heart, feeling the identical heartbeat there. "H-how...." 

Draco chuckled softly and removed his claw, looking down at her warmly afterwards. "Get comfortable, little dreamer. I've got quite a tale to tell you." Not waiting in case she'd object, he delved right into the details of what had happened, watching her reaction closely as he recounted his desperate attempt to goad Bowen into attacking him, and then Erica's timely arrival. He finished by telling her of what had happened the past days while she had been unconscious, about how the castle now belonged to Bowen and Kara, and their rebels. 

Silence hung over them when he was finished, and he frowned at the look of sheer shock on her face. _Well, I shouldn't blame her.... not with that I just told her._

Rachel stared. "I was dead?" 

"Mmhm." 

"And the spirit of your Wise One possessed Erica and took your half-heart from Einon and gave it to me?" When Draco nodded, she lowered her gaze to her hands and blinked. "Okay, this is.... a little much." 

"I know. At first, I hardly believed it myself. You don't realise what you've done, either." At her perplexed look, he carefully reached out and nudged the curve of a talon over her heart. "You've cleansed it. I wasn't sure when the Wise One told me that you could purify it, but you did! I was afraid it would taint you with Einon's evil, especially these last few days...." He trailed off with a sigh and carefully lowered his head to gently nudged her into the circle of his forelegs, sensing the weariness in her. "You're still recovering. Sleep now, you'll feel better in the morning. I promise." 

She sighed softly and let him coax her to lie down so she was nestled against his chest, her head resting on his left foreleg. "Draco?" 

"Yes?" 

"....thank you." 

He smiled at her as he watched her eyes flutter closed and rumbled softly as he settled himself for the night, looking forward to the first night of full sleep he'd had in almost a week as he rested his head down so that he could clearly see Rachel out of his left eye, contenting himself with watching her sleep for a few minutes before joining her. 

~*~ 

"Sweet flamin' crap! What the hell happened?!" 

Grumbling at the cry, Draco irritably cracked his right eye open and stared at Erica. "A simple 'good morning' would suffice, you know," he muttered, wondering if he could persuade her to leave so he could get a few more hours sleep. When she didn't seem to pay any attention to him, he huffed and thumped his tail on the ground, drawing her gaze. "What is it, Erica?" 

Still in shock, the teen rose a shaking hand and pointed to the elf nestled against the dragon's chest, seeing him frown as he rose his head and looked down at her, his own gasp echoing the surprise that she felt. What used to be pure white locks had changed to a coppery auburn, streaked highlights of gold and bronze accenting the rich shade. Her ears, which had been slightly pointed before, were more defined, and Erica hesitantly reached out to shake her friend's shoulder, not entirely sure if she wanted to wake her. "Rach?" 

"Hmm? Jus five m're minutes, Draco...." When the shaking didn't stop, Rachel growled and swatted at the hand, opening her eyes to glare up at Erica. "What already?" 

"I-I think I have to sit down..." Erica whispered as she backed up a few steps and dropped onto the cot, stunned at seeing that the usual dark blue of the other teen's eyes had changed to a emerald green. 

Now fully awake and rather annoyed, Rachel looked from Erica to Draco, frowning at his equally stunned expression. "What already?" 

He jerked a little at the edge of panic in her voice and carefully reached out to tug at a lock of her hair, seeing her eyes widen when she saw the colour of it. "I.... er.... I truly don't know how this happened.... but, well.... we match." 

"I have to sit down..." 

Rachel smirked and looked over at Erica. "You _are_ sitting down." Not getting any response to that, she looked up at Draco and shrugged. "I never liked white anyway. Help me up?" She reached out when he ducked his head and grasped two of the blunt horns that adorned his head, holding on as he rose his head again, lifting her to her feet and letting her hang onto him when she thought that her knees would give out. "Okay, this weak thing is getting on my nerves." 

"It won't last much longer," Draco told her. "It's only because you used so much energy purifying the heart." 

Erica looked up at that, meeting the dragon's gaze. "You mean it worked? She's alright?" 

"Very much so, though I'm still baffled by the change," he admitted, chuckling when the other teen launched herself at Rachel, enveloping her in a rough hug and nearly knocking her over in the process. Amused at their antics, he helpfully shifted so that the elf could easily lean against him, turning to rumble at Erica disapprovingly when she pulled away and smacked Rachel upside the head. 

"You damn near scared me to death! Don't you _ever_ do that again!" 

Rachel grimaced and ducked another hit, looking at her friend warily as she rubbed at the back of her head. "It wasn't exactly all that fun for me either, you know," she muttered sourly, blinking when she caught a glimpse of her hands and staring at the bronze tint to her nails for a moment before looking at Erica and Draco again. "I guess I owe you two, big time." 

"Damn right you do," Erica smirked before Draco could say anything. "The emotional stress alone warrants at least ten favours." 

"_Ten?!_ Oh, I don't think so." 

"I do," her friend retorted, folding her arms over her chest as she looked over at her. "You can start by helping me find a way to go home." 

"Home?" Rachel frowned and glanced away, raising a hand to rub at the scar she had. "I don't--" 

"Not for you, silly. For me." A sad smile spread over Erica's lips as she looked from the silent dragon to her best friend. "I knew the moment you met Draco that you wouldn't be coming back with me. Granted I never even dreamed things would get this serious...." 

"You an me both." Sighing, the elf leaned back against Draco's left shoulder, gazing over at her friend. "You'll have to come back and visit." 

"Of course! I can't wait to see what kind of trouble you get into now." She snickered at the look on Rachel's face and glanced at a curious Draco. "There was this time where--" 

Eyes widening, Rachel gasped and cut her off with a loud, "Don't you _dare_!" 

"You just don't want me to tell him about--" 

Rachel felt her cheeks heat and levelled a nasty glare at her friend. "Shaddup, 'Rica!" 

Grinning at the other teen's embarrassment, Erica chuckled and winked at her. "Alright, I'll be nice. For now. Hang tight for a bit, hmm? I'll go see about finding you some better clothes. Those are kinda...." 

"...gross." Rachel finished for her as she glanced down at herself, looking up again as her friend darted out of the stables. "Don't you dare bring me a dress!" When all she got as an answer was a peal of laughter, she grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest, blushing more when she realised that Draco was chuckling softly. "You're not helping." 

"I'm sorry. Truly," he said, trying to smother his mirth as he looked at her. "It's been a long time since I didn't have dark worries plaguing me." 

She smiled a little at that and lowered her arms, looking over at him. "So, what do we do now?" 

Draco grinned and met her gaze. "I'd say we should start with a vacation, don't you think? Besides, there's much I have to tell you about the heart, things that you'll need to know in the future. And I really need to get out of these stables. I feel like I've been in here for weeks." 

Surprised, she turned to face him fully. "You stayed?" 

"Of course!" He growled at her reprovingly and frowned. "Did you forget what I told you? Through the heart, we share each other's pains and power. The past five days haven't been easy on you, little dreamer. Purifying the heart.... it took more from you than you realise. I'm relieved that you don't remember the nightmares that plagued you." 

The very real concern she saw in his eyes made her wonder what had happened while she had been unconscious, but she shook that thought aside as she reached out to rub her knuckles against his left eyeridge, smiling at the deep purr that rumbled forth. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little overwhelmed," she murmured, watching him as he closed his eyes and leaned his head into the caress. "You sound like a giant cat." 

A chuckle made the purr waver, and he grinned as he playfully nuzzled her side, nudging her backwards until she was forced to sit on the cot again. "You realise that this is rather unheard of, don't you?" he asked, opening his eyes as he rose a claw to playfully tug at a lock of her coppery hair. "Sharing a dragon's heart isn't supposed to have such an effect." 

She shrugged slightly and shifted to sit lotus style, cocking her head as she looked at him. "Maybe it's cuz I'm an Elf," she suggested, tucking her hair behind her pointed right ear as she did so. "Or my magicks." 

"What about them?" Erica asked as she walked into the middle of the conversation, bundles of clothing in her arms forcing her to kick the stable doors shut behind her. 

"There's a chance that they're the reason behind her appearance," Draco explained, quickly shooting a glance at Rachel. "Not that it doesn't suit you, of course." 

"Nice recovery," Erica told him as she threw the armful of clothes at the elf. "It's all I could find. And no, there's no dresses, so stop looking at me like that." 

Smirking, Rachel hopped to her feet and hastily darted behind a wall of hay bales. "So what else has been going on while I was out of it?" 

"Nothing much." Sighing, Erica threw herself down onto the cot and laced her fingers behind her head. "Bowen's been running around like a madman trying to keep up with every little crisis that pops up, the villagers have basically all moved into the castle - you missed the celebratory feast by the way. They got good drinks around here." 

The elf frowned and peeked around the hay to look at her friend. "Tell me you didn't get drunk." 

"Fine. I didn't get drunk." A chuckle left her moments later. "I got plastered. Worst headache I've ever had, it was worth it though. Did you know Bowen could dance? He's very good." 

"Is he now?" Draco arched a scaled eye ridge curiously. "I'll have to remember to ask him where he got his lessons then, or if Kara 'persuaded' him into revealing latent talents." 

Erica looked at the chuckling dragon for a moment before rolling her eyes in the direction of the hay bales. "Rach, your dragon's got a wicked sense of humour." 

"'_My_'dragon?" Rachel pulled a dark brown leather vest over the white short-sleeved tunic she wore, glancing down to make sure it matched with the brown pants and boots she had on before stepping out from behind her hiding spot, frowning as she adjusted the two belts that were around her hips as decoration. "'Rica, he isn't 'mine'." 

"Might as well be, considering all the attention you give him," Erica pointed out with a slightly evil grin. "And vice versa. Especially with this link y'all have now." 

The dragon frowned as the gentle teasing brought to mind what the Wise One had told him. _'You have done well by choosing her as yours', I wonder...._ "She may be right." 

Rachel blinked and looked at Draco in complete disbelief. "What?" 

"Something the Wise One told me, concerning you, Rachel. 'You have done well by choosing her as yours.' Even now, I don't fully understand what He meant, though I suspect it has something to do with why I'm drawn to you." 

"Ew." 

Growling, he shot an irritated glare at Erica. "Not like _that._" As an afterthought, he added, "Pervert." 

Deciding that she didn't want to make an already touchy situation worse, Rachel sighed and casually hooked her thumbs into her belts. "Okay then, so, if this is a huge mystery, where is there any information that can give us a clue as to what's going on?" 

Draco glanced over at her. "Avalon." 

"Well, okay. Avalon it is," Erica announced as she got to her feet and shook out her hair, blinking at the looks they were giving her. "What?" 

"Thought you wanted to go home," Rachel murmured. 

"Well, duh." She rolled her eyes, then sent an exasperated look at her friend. "But you can't send me back _now_, it would be the ultimate cliff-hanger. And that would be cruel and unusual punishment." 

"'Cliff-hanger's?" 

"It's when a story ends at the worst possible place, leaving you guessing what's going to happen next," Rachel explained to the dragon as she walked over to the stable doors and shoved them open, smiling at the sunlight that greeted her. "Well come on. Let's go tell Bowen that I'm not dead before we head for Avalon." 

"I wish you'd stop saying that," Draco rumbled as he rose to his feet and stretched within the confines of the stables before following the two teens out into the courtyard, frowning down at the elf. "It's not something to joke about." 

Wincing, Rachel lowered her gaze. "Right. Sorry." 

"Rachel!" 

The yell made her glance up again, and she yelped in surprise when she was swept up into a bear hug, her eyes widening as she looked into Bowen's grinning face. "And hello to you to! Can you put me down now?" 

The knight chuckled and obligingly set her on her feet, backing away with a mock bow. "How do you feel?" 

"I'm good, thanks," she smiled, still surprised at his uncharacteristic behaviour. _What did I miss while I was out?_ "I hear you've had your work cut out for you." 

"It's never ending, too," Bowen sighed, though there was no real annoyance in the gesture. "Kara will be relieved to know you're awake. Care to join us for a meal?" 

"Actually, Bowen, we're off to see Erica home," Draco said, drawing the knight's gaze. "Rachel and I will be back tonight. If that's alright with _you_, Your Majesty." 

Erica snickered at the look that passed over the man's face at the title, quickly glancing away when he turned to glare at her, barely managing to hide her grin as she did so. 

Ignoring the barely muffled chuckles from from Draco, Bowen turned and looked at the elf. "You're staying, then?" 

"Yep. Someone's gotta keep you in line, might as well be someone who's not afraid to smack you if you're being an idiot," Rachel grinned. "Or will I get yelled at by Kara for damaging her Lord, hmm?" 

Colouring at the implications of that, he bodily turned her around and pushed her towards the dragon that wasn't even bothering to smother his laughter anymore. "Get going. Daylight's wasting." 

"My God," Erica snickered as she pointed at the knight. "Are you ever _blushing!_" 

"Go!" 

~*~ 

"I can't believe he threw us out of the castle," Rachel chuckled almost half an hour later after Draco had carefully landed amidst the circle of columns that sat at Avalon's heart, the dragon crouching low to let Erica and herself dismount. 

The elf's amusement was infectious, and the dragon let out a chuckle of his own as he looked at her. "I've never seen a human turn that shade of red before!" 

"See? Told ya, wicked sense of humour," Erica said, looking at her best friend pointedly. "He's almost as bad as you are!" 

"I resent that." 

"Oh, there's a big surprise." Rolling her eyes, Erica turned and surveyed their surroundings, eyeing the still majestic looking ruins and the numerous Celtic crosses around them. "So where's that information that's supposed to make sense of all this?" 

"This way," Draco rumbled, stepping past them and leading the way towards the main portion of the ruined castle, glancing back at them from time to time to make sure they were following as he walked up a beaten path to what was once the library, turning to look over at Rachel as she and the other girl joined him. "Both of you, brace yourselves. There is power here that even you will be able to sense, Erica." 

Shooting a nervous glance at her friend, Rachel took a breath to steel herself and returned her gaze to the dragon as he reached out with a claw to push open the huge double doors, letting dust and stale air flood out to greet them before he ducked his head and stepped inside. Still wary, she hesitantly followed him in, staying just steps behind his swaying tail as she rose a hand to cover her mouth, coughing at the thick dust in the air. _What is this place?_

Low mutters caught her attention then, and both she and Erica looked over to watch Draco as he walked around the perimeter of the room, shoving windows open as he went, the light that filled the room illuminating the walls... and the numerous shelves of books that lined them. "Holy...." 

"The city bookstore's got nothin' on this," Erica whispered as she moved away from Rachel and looked around, turning in a full circle to stare at the hundreds, no, _thousands _of books. "This is amazing...." 

Her apprehension of being back in Avalon forgotten, Rachel followed Erica deeper into the room, her gaze trying to take in everything at once. But it was when the hair on the nape of her neck bristled that she spun to stare at the space behind her, eyes wide as she struggled with the startled fear that was rising in her. 

"Shh. Shh, calm down," Draco told her as he returned to her side, wings partially unfurling in a protective gesture. "It's alright, Rachel." 

She shot a disbelieving look at him. "You call sensing things that aren't there 'alright'?" 

"Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist. You know that," he chided her gently, raising his gaze from her to look over at Erica as she browsed the shelves along the lower level of the library. "I'm surprised, she cannot sense it." 

"Either that or she's too distracted," Rachel said, frowning for a moment before glancing around them. "What's in here?" 

"Spirits. The knowledge and power of the ancients. If you mean the books, they contain the records of Avalon. Knowledge gained from the travels of it's knights, and of King Arthur. There are also many volumes written by Merlin, on the higher levels, and even some by dragons." Smiling, he crouched a little and head butted her in the back, sending her staggering forward a bit before she caught her balance and glared back at him in annoyance. "We won't learn anything if you stand there all day." 

_Wisecracking dragon...._ Stifling the urge to repeat her thoughts out loud, she frowned and let Draco lead her over to the far wall, glancing over at Erica when her friend ran over to them. 

"I can't believe this," she breathed. "This place is older than dirt, but nothing's rotted or anything! Well, there's enough dust to turn Draco grey, but other than that, everything's perfectly preserved! It's amazing! Though I don't even want to know about the talon marks in the floor, or the walls." 

Draco snorted and looked back at them over his shoulder as he sat back on his haunches, tail curling around himself. "Does it look like I'm capable of using those stairs, hmm?" When Erica winced and glanced away, he shook his head slightly in exasperation and turned his gaze to the shelves, reaching out to delicately close his talons on a worn book, tugging it free of the others. "I should _know_ what the Wise One meant by that comment. I know I should...." 

The two girls exchanged baffled glances at the soft mutter and crept closer to the dragon as he dropped the book onto the floor and used the curve of a talon to leave through the yellowed pages, moving with surprising care for a creature of his size. They had just started to peek past his left foreleg when he hissed and jerked his head back, eyes widening. 

"What?" Rachel blurted, staring at him as Erica darted past her and snatched the book away from him, reading through the page that he had stopped on. "Someone tell me what the heck is going on!" 

"I'll be damned." The chuckle drew the elf's gaze, and Erica rose her eyes to smirk at her friend. "I was right. He _is_ your dragon." 

"What? Erica, what are you talking about?" 

Grinning, she looked over at her. "He brought you flying, right? Willingly?" 

"Duh. As if I'm capable of forcing him?" 

"That's what He meant!" The outburst drew the two girls attentions to him, and Draco looked at them a little sheepishly. "Er, sorry. But I really should have known this." Turning his gaze to Rachel, he lowered himself so that he was close to her eye level and smiled. "When I let you fly with me, I chose you as mine. My Rider. It's rare enough, that a dragon ever lets someone perch on their back, even rarer for one to bring them flying. I can't believe that I didn't realise that sooner." 

"So, that's it? That's the big mystery? She's a Dragonrider? Yeesh." Erica closed the book and shoved it into Rachel's arms, making a vague dismissive gesture in the air as she headed for the doors. "Hell, _I_ could have told you _that._" 

Rachel blinked and glanced at Draco. "You can singe her if you want. I really wouldn't mind." 

Chuckling, he rolled his eyes and took the book from her, replacing it onto the shelf before turning to usher her out of the room, smiling at her protests. "I'll bring you here again, don't worry about that. For now, let's just make sure Erica doesn't get lost in the ruins." 

"Good point," she smirked, catching his toothy grin as she sprinted ahead. Her memory prodded at her then, and she frowned as she paused to look back at him. "The windows...." Her voice caught in her throat as she looked past him in time to see the shutters close on their own, the doors to the library slowly shutting behind the smiling dragon as he walked over to her. 

"Breathe," Draco chuckled, nudging her in the side with his tail as he passed her, fighting to keep from laughing as she jerked a little in surprise and ran to catch up with him. Still smiling, he rose his gaze to the ruins ahead, easily spotting Erica as she headed back for the circle of columns, her red hair a stark contrast to the worn stone and earth around her. "I think she's anxious to go back. You know.... I wouldn't think less of you if you went back to your home." 

"I am home, Draco." 

The answer was so simple, yet it brought a rush of emotion that he hadn't felt in years, and he looked down at her in surprise, unable to keep himself from grinning, even when she refused to meet his gaze. 

"Yo Rach! C'mere!" 

Glad for the distraction, the elf quickly broke into a full run, recklessly skidding down an unstable slope before going over to her friend. "What is it?" 

"Can you feel that?" Erica asked as she held a hand out, surprised at the tingling sensation she felt. "That's magick, but I can't tell what it is." 

Frowning, Rachel moved to stand by her side and closed her eyes, hesitantly reaching out with her own senses to warily examine the threads of power around them, looking at Erica in shock moments later. "You just found your way home." 

"Huh?" 

"Simply put - I can tap into this and use it to send you back," she told her softly, suddenly realising that she was mere minutes away from saying a goodbye that she'd never dreamed she'd do. Sighing, she hugged her best friend and closed her eyes again, feeling her return the embrace with equal strength. "Thanks. For everything." 

"No prob," Erica whispered, pulling away to look at the elf through misty eyes. "Someone had to keep you out of trouble. Besides, it was certainly an adventure of a lifetime, wasn't it? Dragons and knights and maggot kings." 

She chuckled at the other teen's description of Einon and reached out to lie her hands on her shoulders. "I'm holding you to that visiting thing." 

"I know. But we'll need something to link us together, so we can easily get from one time to the other," Erica reminded her, seeing Rachel frown for a moment before her right hand went to the ring she wore on the middle finger of her left hand, the silver circlet that was engraved with Celtic symbols catching the sunlight as she tugged it off. "Rach, no! That was your mothers!" 

"It's only a loan. I'll want it back," Rachel told her with a smile as she dropped the ring to her best friend's right hand. "Take care of it." 

"You know I will. Aw, hell, I suck at goodbyes." A low rumble drew their attentions to the dragon that had silently rejoined them, and Erica smiled slightly as he lowered his head to her. "Keep her safe for me, kay?" 

"You have my Word, young Wiccan," Draco vowed, smiling when she impulsively stepped forward and hugged his neck, a blush staining her cheeks as she pulled away moments later. 

Erica smirked and looked over at Rachel, winking at her as she took a few steps back, giving he elf some room. "Alright, let's get this over with before I chicken out." 

Nodding, the elf closed her eyes and rose her hands, reaching out to snare the magick around them with her own, gently coaxing it to meld with her as she pulled on it's power, forming it into what she needed. The crackle of energy made her open her eyes to stare at the sparkling wind that had picked up around them, curling around Erica for a moment before it flashed green and vanished, taking her friend with it. _Bye...._

Draco sighed softly as her shoulders sagged a little and moved over to brush his cheek against her arm. "Are you alright?" 

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled, looking at him warmly. "Y'know, I was thinking. I should have a new name to go along with all this, don't you think?" 

"Oh?" He followed her with his gaze for a moment as she turned to walk over to a small patch of grass amongst the stone Celtic crosses that littered the land around the castle, a smile spreading over his lips as he followed her. "What did you have in mind?" 

"Dunno. I was hoping you'd have a few ideas." 

The response made him jerk his head back in surprise, staring at her. "Me?" 

"Why not?" 

"Why not, indeed. But I'm not the one to ask for human names." 

She snorted. "If I wanted a human name, I'd damn well stick with the one I have." 

"Good point." Rumbling softly in thought, he settled himself onto the grass and rose a claw to tap a talon against his chin. "It'd have to be something you could pronounce of course... hmm... Elandra? No, that doesn't suit you.... Rhyveth?" 

"Has to be something other people can pronounce too," she chuckled as she sat next to him and leaned back against his shoulder. 

"Right. Isádien?" 

"Too many vowels." 

"Horfidia?" 

Rachel frowned and looked at him. "Horf? Hell no, you are _not_ naming me, 'horf'!" 

"Hmpft. It's a perfectly fine name." 

"Horf?!" 

"Alright, alright. Though if you keep this up I may name you 'Drezael'" 

"What's that mean?" 

He smirked. "Annoying." 

She glared at him. "You keep _that _up and I'll call you something that you won't overly enjoy either." 

Laughing, he playfully bowled her over with a wing and grinned down at her where she lay next to him. "That attitude isn't very becoming for a Rider, Kaelianna." 

"Kaelianna?" 

"Mmhm. It's the feminine meaning of 'heart of a dragon', from one of the many ancient tongues of the Celts. Rather fitting, no?" 

"It's perfect! Kaelianna...." She smiled and sat up, shaking grass out of her hair as she looked at him. "You never told me your real name, you know." 

"I'm afraid that you truly wouldn't be able to pronounce it properly." When she quirked an eyebrow at him, he chuckled. "Alright. It's..." 

Rachel's eyes widened at the melodious rumble that came forth, the rough growling syllables accented by the low purr that accompanied it. It sounded absolutely beautiful, though she knew he had been right about pronouncing it. "I think I'll stick with calling you, 'Draco'." 

He chuckled again and lowered his head to her, closing his eyes with a contented purr when she automatically obeyed the silent plea and reached out to scratch his left eyeridge. "So, my young Rider, tell me, what shall we do now?" 

"Hey, don't ask me. You're the one who mentioned a vacation, remember? You decide." 

"Then tomorrow, Kaelianna, I'll begin showing you the lands of your new home. Though, if you don't mind, I think we may avoid the swamplands." When she snickered, he let out a mock growl of annoyance, then leaned against her hand. "A little harder....there.... Hmm, and at the end of our little journey, I think I may just let you see something that will change the future for us all, little dreamer, though I shall have to ask for your Oath that you will tell no one of it. It's a secret that I've kept hidden and safe for many years....one that must remain so for many more." 

Kaelianna frowned at the proud tone of his voice and looked at him. At the moment, she thought he looked like a contented cat, sunning himself, but there was something about what he had just said. An excited, pridefilled warmth that was tinted with impatience and longing.... "Oh my Gods! You've got a kid!?!"   
  


(Not) The end. ^_~   
  
  


AN: Pshaw to you who thought I'd kill off Draco. Hmpft. Anyway, there will be a sequel. The only reason I rewrote most of the movie was to give my characters background with the characters (and save Draco). Keep an eye out. Ja ne! --Lashana 


End file.
